Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Starstorm Ultra
by Azakael
Summary: Deep in Ultra Space, an inconspicuous tyrant is plotting a multidimensional takeover. Meanwhile, in the world of Pokémon, a shy human-turned-Rowlet named Astrid and her exuberant Froakie comrade Arashi set out while evading the wanted criminal Salem, who holds her own treacherous secret. Little do they know what truly awaits them. (Rated T for language and violence.)
1. Chapter 1- Intro: A Timid Green

The glowing shields stayed up even if there was a lull in the barrage, the ones holding them hunched up against the seemingly never-ending blitz. The eyes peering down from the blown-out ruins wanted only to destroy, and surely, they might have succeeded in many other contexts… but their target wasn't going to give in so lightly. That tyrant commanding them couldn't keep getting her way forever.

Someplace, someplace very far away past the dimensional boundaries was another subject of interest, and with the stars twinkling out of her window, she was sound asleep. Calling out to her wouldn't require a great deal of energy, at least relatively speaking- it was _just_ under the maximum affordable threshold of what could be expended while still holding the shield up. The girl certainly couldn't resist the attempt, not with her mind so vacant.

_*Ah! There you are! Can you hear me?*_

There wasn't any response, but shortly, she was stirring whether she wanted to or not, if having one's body completely reduced to a glowing sphere of energy could be called such. It startled her, but it didn't feel quite… real. This was just a strange dream, surely.

_*Welcome! This is the portal that will lead you to the world of Pokémon! In just a few moments, you will be among us. You will be one of us. But first, I must ask you a few questions to determine what kind of person you are. This is a very necessary step, to ensure that your physical form is appropriate to your true nature. You will need one that is natural to you.*_

That sounded… odd. No, this _definitely_ wasn't real, but if some incorporeal voice wanted to ask her questions, then surely no harm could come of it. She'd wake up and brush it off, forgotten like the rest.

_*Don't think too hard, and answer freely. Let us begin. Suppose you want to make friends with someone. What do you do? Shall you approach them?*_

_*A-ah… I'm not so good at… approaching people…*_

_*Very well; that is understandable. How do you express yourself? Are you open about your feelings, or are you more reserved?*_

_*Reserved… I don't like having everyone's eyes on me…*_

The voice's musings felt strangely personal, and being probed about her feelings started to set her on edge. Still, nothing presented itself worth worrying about immediately.

_*Imagine that you are walking along by yourself, and you hear someone call your name. However, you turn around and no one is there. What do you make of this?*_

_*… Probably a neighborhood kid messing with me and nothing more.*_

_*I see. Now, envision yourself at a friend's house, and you come across a secret passage in their basement. What will you do?*_

That scenario sounded a bit outlandish, but nonetheless, she tried to imagine it. No secret passages would exist without reason, and usually those reasons were mischievous, if not outright nefarious. _*M-maybe peek in if I'm feeling up to it, but probably leave it alone and forget I ever saw it…*_

_*A person speaking a foreign language approaches you and strikes up a conversation. They seem rather nice, but you cannot tell what they are saying. How would you respond?*_

_*N-nod and say yes. That always seems to be the easiest approach…*_

_*Oh?! Is that someone behind you?!*_

Ridiculous. Yet, somehow, it was starting to feel less like a dream and more like an ethereal encounter. _Something_ wasn't boding well, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. _*H-huh?! But how-! … Don't do that! You scared me!*_

_*Very well, very well; no more tricks.~ Now, if you were to see a delinquent harassing a person, what would you do?*_

_*W-well, I would certainly be concerned… Probably shout at them to stop… But if they came after me next, I'd probably run…*_

_*Wonderful. I think I'm beginning to get an idea of who you are. A few more questions, if you will. Suppose you are a castle guard in the Middle Ages. Enemy scouts are invading your land. In what manner will you fight them?*_

Her honest answer probably would've been more along the lines of having never been a guard in the first place, but nonetheless, she replied, _*From a distance as an archer, probably. I wouldn't be very comfortable rushing up to them- not to mention I'd probably just get myself killed in close-range like that, anyway…*_

_*I understand. Do you prefer the sun or the moon? Or, perhaps, the stars?*_

_*… Moon, it's much more calming. Stars are giant blazing balls of heat, and the sun is just the closest one to Earth… It's important for life, sure, but I'd never want to go near it… Or any other star, for that matter…*_

_*I'm getting a good picture of you. We're almost done here. Does the prospect of distant or other worlds frighten you? Does it intrigue you? Would you ever visit one?*_

Such a thing existed, to be sure- tales were told since ages long past about Pokémon from other worlds dropping in, humans being spirited away, and ethereal visitors from all manner of galactic reaches. But nonetheless, if they existed, then thrill-seekers and expert explorers also existed for a reason, and she was neither one. _*V-visit one…? I mean… It might be interesting… But it could also be dangerous… I certainly wouldn't want to go alone; I'd need more info…*_

_*Last question. What is your gender? Are you male, female, or something else?*_

_*F-female.*_

_*… Okay. I see who you are. Your aura… is a gentle green. Your nature… is timid. You seem to be of the cautious sort. You're afraid of things going wrong and may get a bit flustered if your plans are uprooted. You do not like to rush into things, nor be thrown into situations for which you are unprepared. You may even be a bit… insecure. You often fail to realize your own potential. You think there is always someone out there better than you. While being humble may be a nice attribute, you take it too far.*_

_*H-hey… That's…*_

_*Those close to you can see what you are truly capable of, though you may refuse to believe it. You must learn to trust yourself, trust your capabilities. To take hold of your destiny and shape it as you see fit, rather than throw yourself at the mercy of fate and merely hope things turn out fine, because this world needs you. You may need others to coax the power out of you, and you may need help. That is fine; there is no shame in this. But you must realize your own worth if you are to be effective in any capacity.*_

It started feeling _far_ less like a dream. If she had eyes to go slightly wide or hair to stand on end, they would've been doing so, for something wasn't adding up. Whatever this voice was, it wasn't telling her something, and she started trying to think of ways to ask, but it kept going before she could formulate a proper inquiry.

_*I see your form. Someone like you, wary and gentle... is a Rowlet.*_

_*R-Rowlet…? I'm a… Rowlet…?*_

_*Yes. A Rowlet. Are you dissatisfied?*_

_*N-no, I don't suppose…*_

_*Wonderful. Then, let us be off. Let us go to the world of Pokémon! Embrace yourself! Embrace your calling! Adventure awaits you!*_

… It wasn't a dream. It became all too corporeal, and she didn't like it at all.

_*H-hey! W-wait! Who _are_ you?! What's going on?! Why am I-! Th-this is-…!*_

Her protests were drowned out, try as she might to voice them.

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ Hello, everyone. This is my first foray into the world of fanfiction, and I am rather looking forward to it. I have had this idea floating around in my head for around two years now, but never quite got around to writing it until a few weeks ago. At the moment, I have decided this is to be my 'weekend project'- that is, I will work on it on the weekends or when I have a break from classes and the like, so while I have no set update schedule, you will know when progress is being made._

_I'd also like to give a big thanks to my friend TheDragonSaver for being my editor and lending me his expertise in the literary field. I very much value his input, and if you are reading this: thanks, dude!_


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Awakening

"Agh-! Ngh…!"

Something didn't feel… quite right.

Two black eyes fluttered open, the tan and white feathers of the body they belonged to ruffled up in surprise and alarm. They scanned the area, trying to get a grip- obscured skies, trees spread out in every direction dimming what faint traces of sunlight came through, not a single sign of any sentient life form to be found. This terrain was nothing familiar, but somehow everything seemed quite a bit… bigger, as if the ground was closer than it should have been and the foliage stretched taller than usual. The ferns and bushes threatened to dwarf the little figure looking around at them.

"H-hello…?"

She could've sworn someone had been there mere seconds ago, speaking to her. She didn't know who, or what they wanted, or… anything, really. If she was supposed to be in the area she found herself, she couldn't discern why.

"I-is someone there…?"

_Crack!_

The sound startled her.

"H-hm?!"

More frantic scanning followed, her feathers ruffling up again and her feet skittering as if unsure of the ground beneath them. The little Rowlet turned in a circle, eyeing her surroundings for the source (or anything that might jog her memory as to _what_, precisely, was going on). She couldn't tell what it was, but if it was a limb breaking underfoot or a branch snapping, the creature behind it must've been _huge_, yet she couldn't see a thing that might do so.

_Crack! Crackle!_

A frightened chirp came from her beak, the smallish creature stumbling about in panic. She couldn't stay in one place forever, but with her surroundings nearly identical on all sides, the exact way she should've been walking was unclear. However, amid the thick greenery, the little black eyes locked on something: a bright glow coming from behind a nearby tree, as if someone with a lantern had been hiding there the entire time and had only just slinked into view. She eyed it cautiously.

"H-hello?"

It wasn't a lantern.

Something akin to a hand stuck out, followed by something that seemed to imitate a human body, albeit made of a bunch of wires tied together in strategic places with a few crimped copper ribbons akin to fingers on its 'hands.' A spiked, glowing 'head' sat atop its tall form, seeming to look down on her. And look down on her it did, for the strange creature was easily at least two and a half meters tall.

_Crack!_

Its body surged with sparks of electrical energy, causing the air around it to buzz with the volts. She could feel her feathers stand up just from being close to it… and she didn't like being close to it. Whatever this creature was, she didn't like _any_ of it. If it was trying to be human, it was failing miserably, and only succeeded in looking like a twisted imitation. The electricity coursing along its form certainly didn't bode well either, yet almost as fast as she laid eyes on it, the powerful sparks died down and dissipated from view as if to lull her into security.

"There you are!" a robotic, slightly metallic voice exclaimed.

There was no one else present, thus it _had_ to be the strange creature talking to her, yet she couldn't discern _how_. It had no mouth; it didn't even possess a _face_. Its voice certainly wasn't ringing a bell, for it sounded like none she recognized.

She'd seen enough. With a terrified squawk, the little Rowlet turned around and bolted away as fast as her tiny feet would run. She didn't care where she headed as long as she got away from that… that _thing_ pretending to be a human.

"Hey! Wait!" the creature exclaimed again.

Skittering away along the forest floor, she turned her head backwards to look at it. One of its wired appendages- akin to a leg, perhaps- stretched out and planted on the ground, then the other, the creature apparently giving chase. Its long stride dwarfed hers with ease, and one of its crackling 'arms' reached out towards her.

"_NO!"_ she screeched, utterly petrified and giving her wings a flap.

Her feet left the ground and she picked up speed, evading both the metallic fingers that went for her and the branches in her way. Her wings let her outpace the wired beast, shortly leaving it running haplessly after her with wild, swinging strides that might've looked ridiculous to a bystander but thoroughly startled the one being pursued.

She looked back once more, and she had put several meters between it and herself. She wasn't sure just _how_ her tiny form was working, since something about it felt horribly amiss, but she didn't have time to care. All that mattered was getting away from the crackling creature.

The trees gave way to an opening, and she went for it, bursting out of them and into the open air. There wasn't much else present, just what appeared to be a lake below that gave way to a larger sea, several cliff sides surrounding the water that were covered in more trees. Yet, in seconds, she noticed something else much more concerning: there was no ground below her.

"_Hey!_" the strange creature called, "Stop!"

The little avian did no such thing, yet it shortly became apparent the creature wasn't content to just run after her, for she felt something unpleasant course through her body- an electric jolt.

A pained screech came from her as her body seized, her appendages refusing to listen to her. The ground began getting closer rather quickly, despite her frantic efforts to stay in the air that proved absolutely fruitless. She didn't have enough energy to flap her wings, and even holding her eyes open was becoming difficult. Her vision blurred over, yet, for one last check, she turned her head backwards again and noticed the black mass of cables standing at the edge of the forested cliff. It looked down at her, sparks coursing over its body, just… staring. Its hands were poised up in what she might have guessed as surprise, or perhaps aggression, but of course, she had no idea for sure. She couldn't tell what its gestures meant, but at least it wasn't chasing her.

Its figure and the forest got smaller and smaller, blurring together, all much faster than she would have liked. Try as she might, her wings wouldn't listen…

_Thud_.

Her vision went black.

* * *

"Hey! Hey, are you alright?!"

Another voice graced her senses. One that was… much more energetic. And _natural_-sounding.

Her body was listening, at least. Still, something didn't feel as it should have.

"Mmm… a-ah… ngh…" the Rowlet groaned haplessly, stirring just a tiny bit.

"Hey! You're _alive!_"

"H-hmmm…?"

Two black eyes fluttered open and immediately were greeted with the sight of another set peering down into hers- yellow in color, belonging to a light blue head with two small bubbles around the nose… It was a Froakie.

"And _awake!_" the Froakie exclaimed exuberantly, a huge grin stretching over his face. "Goodness, I was worried! I was on my way out and you were just laid out on the sand here, not moving at all!"

Her eyes opened wide, and she was on her feet, her company hopping about her. She studied him. "Y-you… can talk…?"

He giggled. "Of course I can, silly! You're talking to me right now, aren't you~?"

One of his hands reached out and patted one of her wings as he laughed, to which the Rowlet let out another startled cry and scuttled back at being touched so suddenly by a complete stranger.

However, the Froakie was beaming. "_Arceus above, you're soft and fluffy!_" he exclaimed, looking enthralled, "Is the rest of you like that?! Can I see?!"

"_NO!_" was the perturbed answer, the fluffy feathers in question ruffling up. "W-who are you?! Where am I?! And what… what was _that_?!"

Her head began scanning the area again, then glanced up at the cliff. There was no wired beast to be seen, nothing else of any interest among the surroundings that consisted mostly of sand, rocks, and water under a peaceful sky… though still something didn't feel right.

The Froakie before her was quite a bit bigger than he should have been, at least, if he was looking her straight in the eye while still standing on the ground, though at the same time, the forest up above seemed quite a bit bigger even though she knew that simple greenery and trees were not supposed to dwarf her. But, while running through the forest, she definitely remembered her steps covering quite a bit more ground… _Steps_, not _flaps_…

She quickly scurried over to the water's edge to get a look at her reflection, and let out a distressed squawk just as fast.

"_What is THIS?!_" she cried, frantically flapping her wings and wiggling her feet as if to somehow swap them out for human arms and legs, "_Why am I a Rowlet?!_"

Her company hopped closer and giggled, watching her display with amused intrigue. "Why are you worried? Are you not supposed to be?"

"_NO!_" was the unhappy answer, "I… I'm a human! I'm…!"

The feathered one burst into tears and buried her face in her wings. The Froakie instantly became concerned and edged closer to her, again placing a hand on her. She didn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, you think you're a human?" he mused, then glancing up at the rocky edges farther up above them, "Sheesh, you must've hit your head _really_ hard…"

"I-it's true!" she exclaimed, looking out through her feathers, "I'm a human! A human female, my name is Astrid, and… and…! O-oh, Arceus above, I can't remember anything else!"

Her company perked up. "Well, nice to meet ya, Astrid! I'm Arashi!"

"A-Arashi…?"

"Yup, that's me!"

Back to crying she went, her company still grinning haplessly as she bawled into her wings. "Oh, Arashi, this is _terrible!_"

He giggled, giving her a pat again. "Oh, I'm sure it is! You must've had a nasty fall, and now your mind is all messed up!"

"N-no!" she exclaimed again, peeking over her wings, "I-I mean, y-yes, but no!"

Arashi tilted his head to the side with a caring smile, still patting her wing. "Yes but no? What happened?"

Astrid shook her head a bit, trying to formulate some sort of a response that came out far more jumbled than she would've liked. "I d-don't remember much, just… I g-guess I was having this weird dream, but it wasn't _actually_ a dream, where this disembodied voice was asking me a bunch of questions, and… and then I was _up there_ in the forest, and th-this… this _thing_ came at me…"

"Thing? What thing?"

She lowered her wings some more, though her gaze was locked on the ground. "Th-this tall glowing creature with a body made of wires… Y-you know what wires are, r-right…?"

"Those things you can tie other things together with and such? Yup!"

"W-well, its body was made of those, and it looked sorta like a human but _not at all_ like a human, it didn't even have a face but just this glowing spiked ball where its head should've been, a-and… and its body was sparking with electricity like a lightning storm, then it started _talking to me_ and _chasing_ me, a-and…! And then it hit me with a bolt and knocked me out and I ended up down here!"

Arashi studied her intently, still wearing a countenance of excited intrigue. "Wow, really?! Sheesh! I've never heard of a Pokémon like that, so you must've gotten really lucky!" then, pausing for a second with a slightly awkward look, "Er, it _was_ a Pokémon, right?"

Astrid fluffed her feathers out a bit, dusting herself off with her wings and shyly looking at Arashi. "I-I don't know; I've n-never seen _anything _quite like that, really…"

Another chuckle, Arashi's hand going to her wing again. "Well, I haven't seen anything like that, either! And I've lived here my whole life, so it's probably safe to say that whatever it was is gone now, or else it would probably be down here if it _really_ wanted you."

A sigh came from her beak, her feathers deflating. "Alright, well, if you live here, then w-where am I? C-can you tell me that?"

A beaming grin met her in return. "You're on Tranquil Beach, an outlier of Tranquil Town!"

"T-Tranquil Town…?"

"Yup! There's not a lot of action here, except for a few incidents lately of other Pokémon just… going _crazy_, but it's a pretty nice place!"

A bit of alarm crept into Astrid's expression, for those 'few incidents' didn't seem to bode well either. "G-going crazy…?"

"Yeah! Just a few days ago, a Rhydon came roaring up to the town's perimeter and tried to start a big fight, and once he got calmed down, he claimed to not remember much about what happened. Good thing my mom was in town; her Water Shuriken put a stop to the issues _real quick_, aha!"

Up her feathers went again, the little bird eyeing her company uneasily. "R-really…?"

"Yeah! Isn't it wild?!" Arashi was still chattering away, not at all bothered. "And, well, in the general area surrounding us, not _too_ long ago there were a few rumored sightings of the wanted criminal Salem, but-!"

"WHAT?!" Astrid cut him off at the mention of such, "'Wanted criminal?!'"

"Yeah! She's this real shady figure- a Fennekin, I think she was… or maybe she had evolved…? Ah well, the sightings keep changing so no one knows for sure, aha!"

Astrid's feet skittered a few steps backwards. This Froakie was crazy; he had to be. She didn't like this, she didn't like this _at all._

"A-Arceus above, what have I gotten into here…" she whimpered, looking down at the ground. "Why is this happening… and why _me?!_"

Arashi's eyes drooped a little in concern and he hopped to her side again, the little avian still eyeing him. "Awww, you really _are_ in a bad spot, aren't you?" the aquatic one cooed gently.

Shyly, she nodded. "I don't remember anything important except my name and that I'm not supposed to be a Pokémon… I don't know how I got here, who was talking to me, what that _abomination_ in the forest was, _nothing_…"

Her eyes started watering again, to which Arashi gave her wing another pat. "Well, hey, if you're so lost and upset, why don't you stay with me for a while? My house is right around the corner on the beach, and if that weird creature shows back up, my mom and dad will take care of it! Besides, if you got knocked out, you could probably use a nice place to rest!"

She gave him a timid look, still a bit unsure of the Pokémon in front of her. "B-but… you just met me. I just fell off a cliff on the beach and you're alright with taking me in…?"

He laughed. "Of course! Should I be afraid of you, Astrid~?"

She quickly shook her head, thinking _she_ should've been the one afraid and not the other way around. "N-no…"

"Then c'mon! We'll take care of ya!"

She thought for a moment. She wasn't sure what to make of this new creature that seemed as bubbly in personality as the bubbles around his neck, but even so… there wasn't much choice. Being left alone in this strange new world seemed an even worse option than putting her trust in a complete stranger, and with the encounter of earlier… No, she wasn't going to chance it.

"A-alright," she answered mildly.

Arashi let out a cry of glee, throwing both arms around her in a hug, to which the Rowlet let out a startled squawk and ruffled up her feathers.

"YES! I have a friiieeeeeend nooooow~" the Froakie sang excitedly.

"H-hey! Don't you think that's a little much for someone you just met?!"

He let go. "Nope!"

In any case, Arashi set to hopping down the beach, still beaming with glee. Astrid brushed herself off, still in utter disbelief that she was going along with the status quo, but nonetheless she haplessly skittered away after him.

Meanwhile, however…

A certain someone else's gaze was fixed on a less-than-wonderful sight. On the beach, a Rowlet and a Froakie strolled along the coastline, one of them appearing to be much more chipper than the other.

'Tranquil Beach,' the locals called it. It was anything _but_. The moment the Rowlet took a dive over the edge, the terrain had become a _problem_. There was but one pathway down the steep rock faces, and having to run through the sprawling expanse of trees and to the forest's edge to _find_ it in the first place took far too much time for one unfamiliar with the vicinity.

Then, on finally finding a way down to her, there she was- awake, fully functioning, and with someone else.

Running out to them- absolutely not. Too much visibility.

Attacking them- absolutely not. Only Arceus, or whatever other legendary may have been watching, knew who _else_ might show up.

"Agh! This is _terrible_! _Forgive me!_" it protested to no one in particular, giving them one last glance and darting back up the rock-carved pathway, quickly out of sight.


	3. Chapter 3: Anything but Tranquil

"Mom! Dad!"

Among the steep rock faces and rather close to the water's edge was an opening in the cliffs denoted by a blue curtain (that had certainly seen better days) covering the entrance, which Arashi shoved aside just a bit. His tiny hands clearly weren't the ones that put it up.

"I made a new friend! She's a Rowlet!"

Astrid's feathers puffed out just a bit, the little avian looking uncertain at the 'friend' label being thrown out so quickly but not protesting it all the same. Arashi glanced back at her and beckoned her along, and she followed with bashful steps as her company went hopping away without wasting a second.

"Oh? Did you?" came a voice that Astrid guessed belonged to someone older- it was deeper, though not _too_ deep.

"Yeah!" Arashi excitedly called back, almost leaving Astrid in the dust as he darted in.

The walls of the enclosure were akin to a grey sandstone hallway, carrying a salty smell that she was sure came from the waters they were so close to. It wasn't a long hallway though, for it shortly opened up into a larger room, brightly illuminated with a lantern hanging from the ceiling and several others sitting on rocky shelves jutting out of the stone walls. A small table was positioned in the middle, several leafy chairs scattered about at various places, and a few baskets of goods the Rowlet couldn't see were positioned in some more carved cupboards at one edge. Two other curtained doors hung over two other openings that she guessed lead to other rooms. She was _sure_ that she remembered houses looking different, but nothing in particular was coming to mind as to _how_ they looked different. Yet, somehow, it felt… cozy, as if she'd be fine to nestle up and roost in one of the cupboards.

The source of the other voice was another Pokémon of reptilian form and blue in color with a yellow frill running down his back- an Inteleon. Arashi bounded up happily with Astrid in tow, and the larger figure knelt down to look at Astrid more closely while giving Arashi a gentle pat on the head.

"… So you did," the Inteleon noted coolly, observing the Rowlet with a smile creeping across his face. "And indeed, a Rowlet- not common to these parts."

Astrid shrank into her feathers a bit more, unsure of having another set of eyes on her.

Arashi, however, giggled. "And she's all fluffy, too! It's _great_!"

The one in question got a bit wide-eyed. She had no idea what to make of Arashi's fascination, much less what to say to this new individual. "A-ah…! E-er, I, um…"

The Inteleon giggled. "Shy, I see. What is your name, dear?"

"Astrid!" Arashi exclaimed before she could get the words out herself.

Her feathers deflated a bit. "Y-yeah, A-Astrid…"

Another giggle from the larger figure. "Astrid. A fine name.~"

She deflated a bit more, still unsure of what to say, though it shortly appeared she didn't need to think of much.

Arashi turned back to her, taking a hop closer to her side and sticking a hand on her wing again. "This is my dad," he noted to her of the Inteleon.

"A pleasure to meet you, Astrid. I am Niles," the Inteleon greeted her.

Niles' hand reached out towards her, and she soon noticed that it dwarfed her too. However, Niles didn't touch her, and as if by instinct, she awkwardly stretched one wing out for something of a handshake- if a wing could count as a 'hand' for such, anyway.

"N-nice to m-meet you, Mr. Niles," she shyly responded.

Though, at that time, another figure appeared, coming from behind one of the curtain doors and with a small knapsack in her hand- the amphibious, mostly dark blue form of a Greninja.

"What is this I hear about a friend?" she inquired, glancing among all of them, and then settling on Astrid, "Ah. That would be you, little one."

The Rowlet couldn't help but scuttle backwards a bit, her body tensing up at all the sets of eyes on her. They weren't malicious, but nonetheless, with her nerves running wild, she didn't feel particularly at ease regardless. Arashi, however, was still beaming and gave her wing another pat.

"This is Astrid!" the Froakie proudly proclaimed, then to Astrid, "And this is my mom! I guess that's obvious, though, aha!"

"H-hello," Astrid pitifully squeaked out.

"Hello," was the amiably swift response, the Greninja still looking at her while setting her bag down and then striding a bit closer. "You're Astrid?"

A hapless, silent nod was the answer.

The Greninja smiled a bit at her nonetheless. "Nice to meet you," she chuckled, "I'm Kaminari."

"N-nice to meet you too, Ms. Kaminari," Astrid spluttered.

Kaminari smiled, then returned to her bag on the table and began sorting through its contents. Astrid almost wondered if Arashi had a smile permanently frozen on his face, for it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, it seemed.

"Are you from around these parts, dear?" Niles inquired, "I haven't seen you- or anyone like you- around."

Astrid froze at the question, completely unsure of what to say and going wide-eyed. "E-er, I, um, w-well-"

"I found her on the beach!" Arashi proudly declared, grin plastered on his face, "She was knocked out at first, but she came to pretty fast! And she's not from around here, either, but she says she can't remember a thing except that-!"

"Arashi, dear, let her speak," Niles cut him off gently but chidingly, then to Astrid, "Apologies, dear."

The Froakie shut up, smiling awkwardly.

Astrid blinked, still caught off guard, but nonetheless managed to stammer out, "I-it's true; I w-was on the beach and he f-found me," she answered, then getting overwhelmed again by all the happenings and her flurry of emotions, "And this _thing_ is what _knocked me out _there! I don't remember _anything_, except that I just found myself in the forest, that _abomination_ started chasing me, I tried to fly away, and it _zapped me!_ A-and I'm not even supposed to be a Rowlet, I'm…!"

She buried her face in her wings again and burst into tears. Arashi gently put his arms around her, patting her again.

"She says she's a human, but everyone knows humans are extinct," Arashi clarified, then looking back to her, "Hey, it'll be alright, Astrid; we'll figure this out!"

Astrid didn't say a word, merely sobbing into her feathers with Arashi trying to console her. Niles gently cooed some words of affirmation too while putting one of his hands around her, though the two adult Pokémon shot each other a glance.

Astrid was startled at first by Niles' gesture and at how small it made her seem what with getting utterly engulfed by a larger hand, but then remembered that, as a starting stage in her evolutionary line, such was bound to happen and brushed it off. She wasn't protesting Arashi and his father's efforts to comfort her, but still, it was hard to get a grip.

"What 'thing,' Astrid?" Kaminari calmly inquired, leaving the bag and taking a few steps closer, "You say you were attacked? By whom?"

She lowered her wings a bit to peek out over them and responded, "I d-don't know who," she mused with a cracking voice, "I-it was this creature, n-not really anything like a Pokémon… A-at least, n-not one that I know of…"

"Can you describe it, dear? Perhaps we know," Niles inquired, moving his hand back.

She shuddered a bit, though she lowered her wings some more. "I-it was big- er, tall, m-more like tall… And its body was mostly made of black wires that were held together b-by more wires that were white and g-glowed… It didn't have a face, just a spiky ball where its head should've been, but somehow it _talked_ to me… A-and it used two of its wire bunches like legs, another two like arms, and another one was its tail, I g-guess… It m-made my feathers stand up; its whole body was just c-crackling with electricity…"

Niles and Kaminari looked at each other, growing more puzzled the more she described.

"I-is that normal around here…? H-have you seen one of those before…?" the Rowlet sheepishly asked, as if afraid of the answer she might get.

A positive would only indicate that the area was even more awful than it already had been, while a negative would only indicate she had the misfortune of discovering a new and terrifying creature. She didn't like either outcome, and the puzzled expressions on everyone else's face didn't bode well.

"Have you, Niles?" Kaminari inquired.

"No," Niles answered. "Have you, honey?"

"No."

A squawk of distress shortly followed. She buried her face in her wings again. "_You have got to be kidding me!_" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "Oh, this is terrible! _Terrible!_"

Arashi patted her wings some more, still looking rather happy with all things considered. "Oh, there, there, it's alright, we'll get it taken care of!"

"_No!_" she fussed, "This is _not_ alright!"

"Oh, dear, don't be so distressed; you're safe now," Niles cooed, giving her a warm look, "No creature is going to hurt you while you're here. If nothing else, my Snipe Shot never misses."

"And if this creature is made of wires, my Water Shuriken will slice them apart," Kaminari added.

The Rowlet sniffled a bit more, but somehow that comforted her- even if she doubted that type matchups would be in their favor against a bolt-wielding creature.

Nonetheless, she put her wings down and looked up at them. "R-really…?"

"Yes, dear. Don't worry about it," Niles affirmed.

Kaminari, however, was more interested in something else. "Though, what is this about you being a human and unable to remember anything? That's quite a claim."

She got a bit shy again and ruffled her feathers up, skittering a bit in place and unsure of what, precisely, to say. "W-well, I… I just know I'm not supposed to be a Rowlet; that I'm supposed to be a human… And that my name is Astrid… And I honestly can't remember anything else before ending up in the forest, j-just that… I felt like someone was t-talking to me and then I kinda… w-woke up… and that th-thing was there, but I didn't recognize its voice at all…"

Again the two older Pokémon were looking at each other. She fell utterly silent again, not sure of what their glances were supposed to mean, but honestly not thrilled about any of it. If this was some sick joke from Arceus' underlings, or some ridiculous prank from Hoopa, or even some odd dream she'd yet to wake up from, she didn't appreciate it. Yet, still, she knew that was likely not the case.

"… This has happened before, hasn't it?" Kaminari mused to her mate. "Just… not very often."

"It's kept as mainly classified information, but it has," Niles answered.

That certainly piqued the Rowlet's interest, but Arashi's even moreso.

"Eh?! So she _didn't_ just hit her head really hard?!" the Froakie exclaimed, eyes practically sparkling with excitement. "Sheesh, Astrid! Aren't you something?"

"A-ah…!" was all she could stammer out in response.

"The natural disaster incident with Rayquaza had a former human involved, as did the Primal Dialga incident, the Bittercold, and Dark Matter," Niles expounded, "To avoid cataclysmic damage, the gods of this world- a select group of Legendary Pokémon- will search the dimensions for a candidate best fitted to deal with the problems that arise, and thus far, they have all been a human from another world that partners with a native of this one… or at least, those are the cases we know of."

Arashi's eyes practically sparkled at his father's words, and he looked at Astrid. "Woooooow! You really _are_ something else!"

A squeak was the only response from the Rowlet, who practically wished the ground would swallow her up so she wouldn't have to bother with any of the situation's absurdity anymore.

Niles, though, apparently seemed to pick up on her distress, for he again cupped his hand around her and gently stroked her fluff. "Now, now, dear, those are only the cases we _know_ of. Don't feel too upset with yourself; there could very well be another reason."

"A-ah… I s-sure hope so… I'm no good for that… s-sort of thing…"

Arashi couldn't help but giggle again, and Astrid merely stood there with her feathers ruffled up and a dismayed look on her face when Niles withdrew his hand again. If she were there for any sort of world-saving, she was sure the gods had made a terrible miscalculation, and if it were some sick prank, it was a terrible success. She hadn't even been present in this new world for a whole day, and she was already horrified by almost everything in it.

"Let's alert the Expedition Coalition; perhaps they can be of help," Kaminari suggested, giving Niles a look. "Their researcher should have plenty of information, and her psychic abilities could help restoring Astrid's memories."

Arashi got sparkly-eyed again, a blissful gasp coming from him. "The Expedition Coalition?!" he exclaimed, then looking to the Rowlet, "Ah, Astrid, I've always wanted to join them! They're the best! If _they_ can't help you, no one can!"

Astrid was taken aback by this sudden development. "R-really…?"

"Yes, dear, they're well-known around these parts," Niles noted.

"A-ah…"

Kaminari strolled over to one of the cupboards and retrieved something else- what looked like a paper and a bit of ink. "I'll write up a letter and have it sent off; they should be keen to take up a case like this. Arashi, perhaps you should go show your friend around town," she instructed her son.

A cry of glee came from Arashi, who clapped his hands together before taking hold of Astrid's wing again. "Yeeeees! C'mon! You'll love it!"

The Froakie started bouncing down the corridor leading out again, and Astrid hesitated for a second before haplessly skittering off after him with a few flaps of her wings to catch up.

Niles got up from his kneeling position, calling after them "Be careful! Don't go too far outside of town!"

Arashi didn't seem to be paying it much mind, for he didn't respond.

Astrid, on the other hand, called back over her shoulder, "Th-thanks for h-having me!"

Her tiny legs simply weren't fast enough. She took to flying after Arashi, who probably would have inadvertently left her in the dust had she not.

Nonetheless, back along the beach and to the edge of the rocky cliffs they went, until a somewhat wide staircase lead to the top of the cliffs around 40 meters up, clearly having been carved long ago and weathered since then for the cracks and chunks broken off here and there.

"Here! This is how you get up to town," Arashi noted, bouncing up.

Astrid flapped along beside him. "S-so I guess you and your folks live on the beach because you're Water-types, then…?"

"Yup! It just feels natural, y'know?"

She _didn't _know, or have any idea, but she figured that was also to be expected.

She couldn't help but be aware of the trees closer to the cliffs' edges. If that creature was still there, even with a second tagalong with her, she knew they weren't going to win alone, yet it seemed she didn't have to worry about it. On reaching the top, the forest did not encroach on them, for the edges of it were around 15 meters away (though quickly grew thick heading inwards, it seemed), and there was no sparking wired beast there to meet her. A winding, sandy path lead off somewhere to their west, close to the perimeter of the forest, and the trees seemed to extend for almost as far as the eye could see in either direction they went. They seemed a bit denser on the east half, but in any case, the edge of Tranquil Town was plainly visible not too far in front of them. It relieved Astrid to see more little houses and places with more Pokémon bustling about through them.

"Oi, Arashi! How are you and your folks?" a Nidoking called from the outskirts.

"Going great, Nez! Good afternoon!" the Froakie called back, then pausing and motioning at Astrid, "This is Astrid! She's new to these parts!"

Astrid froze in dismay, holding up one wing as if to hide behind it.

"Aye! Nice to meet ya, Astrid!" the spiked one called back, waving with a big grin.

She was too flustered to respond in proper. Nonetheless, Arashi beckoned her along and she followed, going back to using her feet for movement.

She didn't remember these houses looking quite the same either, yet still, she couldn't recall a reference point. Most of the ones she saw looked like little round cottages made of wood and natural materials, but there were some others hewn out of rock or made of sticks arranged in trees- down to type and preference, she supposed, like Arashi had mentioned. A Jolteon strutted about outside of one cottage, a Toucannon also taking up in a tree house and preening a little Pikipek's feathers. She couldn't help but be a bit fascinated by all the variants, but she said nothing to the effect.

Arashi, though, bounced up to a smaller stand covered by a green tent in the middle of the town's spread, where two Kecleon stood behind the counter. Astrid shyly approached as well, ambling up and practically hiding behind the Froakie.

"Alright! So _this_ is the first place you should be familiar with," he happily declared, giving Astrid a glance then turning back to the little shop, "This is the Kecleon Shop; you'll find them in pretty much every town!"

"Greetings, traveler~" one of the Kecleon, a green one, sang in response.

"Welcome~" the second, a purple one, likewise greeted.

Astrid gingerly looked at them. "Hello," she responded, hardly above a whisper.

"This is the place you go if you need something," Arashi explained, "And they've got _everything_! Berries, items, food, you name it.~"

"Indeed!" the green Kecleon concurred. "My expertise is in general-use and edible items~"

"And mine is in TMs, Orbs, and other specialty items~" the purple one added.

"Come and see us anytime~"

"We will not let you down~"

The Rowlet wasn't quite sure what to make of them with their sing-song tones that struck her as a bit odd, though Arashi didn't seem bothered in the least. She had to wonder if this was normal or if she was the only one taking note of it.

"You can find them in dungeons sometimes too, or so I've heard," Arashi noted, "But don't try to steal from them! The last person that tried didn't speak to anyone for a week after the heist failed, because she'd never been beaten so badly in her life!"

Astrid's eyes widened, and she looked back at the two Kecleons standing before her. They started smiling.

"It's true~" the purple one confirmed.

"We might have to release the swarms on you if you try~" the green one chirped.

She was utterly stunned, not quite sure of what 'swarms' entailed but not wanting to find out. "P-point t-taken," she said faintly, "N-not that I w-wanted to in the first place…"

Arashi giggled, patting her wing again. "I didn't take you for the thieving type, aha! But it's always worth noting."

She nodded, still staring at the Kecleons with huge eyes.

"Buuuut, you won't be doing any shopping without some cash!" Arashi noted, still grinning, "And I'm betting you don't have any, right?"

She shook her head. Arashi hopped over to another point of interest- a large billboard with lots of pieces of paper stuck to it haphazardly, some overlapping the others and some appearing to be much older than the rest. Headlines and text covered the pages, some of them with pictures of various Pokémon in the center.

"This here is the bulletin board," the Froakie noted, "Sometimes, other Pokémon will have a certain service they request or the sheriff's office will post a bounty for a criminal, and this is where they put those notices. Some of them offer monetary rewards; others will offer you items and the like. Anyone is free to respond to them, but generally that's the work of rescue and exploration teams."

Astrid scanned the pages. Some of them included headlines such as "Please retrieve my treasure!" with a location listed, while others were endowed with a picture and a headline along the lines of "Apprehend this outlaw!" with a description of the individual in question and their less-than-stellar dealings.

However, one in particular stuck out to her, one poster in particular bearing the image of a Fennekin. "WANTED" was displayed in big, red letters beneath the picture, along with "Salem- highly dangerous, NOT FOR AMATEUR PURSUIT" underneath it. She couldn't help but read the rest of it.

"Highly elusive, highly difficult to apprehend. May or may not be using puppet subordinates, may or may not be in an evolved form. Reported to use techniques and abilities not innate to species or evolutionary line. Utilizes strong attacks and foul play, also commonly blindsides targets and slips away through a flame shield to discourage pursuit. Victims commonly suffer grievous bodily harm and memory loss. Motive is unknown. Whereabouts unknown. ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE PURSUED ALONE. UTILIZE EXTREME CAUTION IF ENCOUNTERED."

Astrid blinked, tilting her head while studying it. "W-_what_ is this…?"

"Hm? Looking at Salem?" Arashi inquired.

"Y-yeah…"

"Yeeeaaaaaaaah, she's a real piece of work, they say. Sheriff Magnezone got pretty beat up the last chase Salem was involved in, and she's managed to outmaneuver even some of the more well-known teams."

"So she… h-hurts other Pokémon…?"

"It seems that way, anyway," the Froakie answered, "As far as anyone knows, she just shows up and starts attacking, then sets everything around her on fire to run away. That's not so much a problem for _some_ Pokémon, but somehow, no one can catch her, and it seems like she just… disappears. It's been suspected that she's got a buddy that knows Teleport or a Psychic or Ghost-type to hide her away, but even other Psychic and Ghost-types haven't been able to find one on her side. It's not like she's out for money or items, either; she never steals anything. So add it all up, and it just looks like she's out to do damage and cause trouble."

Astrid looked to the poster again, narrowing her eyes just a bit in scrutiny. "S-so the worst kind of person- ah, I m-mean, the worst kind of Pokémon…"

For whatever reason, Arashi started grinning again and patted her wing. "Yup! Absolutely awful!" he chirped without a care, "But I'm not _that_ worried about her showing up; me and my folks are all Water-types, so we naturally resist a lot of her attacks. That, and if she's evolved into a Delphox, my mom is a perfect counter! So it should be alright!"

She considered it for a moment. "Ah…"

"And speaking of my folks, that's where I get any of my money from," Arashi laughed, "My mom and my dad take these jobs on occasion, and they, er… My dad, well… He does _something_, but apparently he's not allowed to talk to us about it 'cause it's secret! And my mom's a lightning-fast ninja; it's kinda in her species name.~ I haven't been dungeon-crawling by myself yet, but one of these days, I wanna form a team! It's always been my dream, aha~!"

"A-ah… You… You _want_ to do that sort of thing…? Fight criminals and explore uncharted places…?"

"Sure do! I'm a sucker for adventure and excitement!"

"Ah…"

That much was painfully obvious from literally everything the Froakie had done so far- approaching strange new figures on the beach, taking them back home with no protestation, and beaming all the while in the confusion. It was something Astrid simply couldn't wrap her head around, yet… if she were in this world, and likely stuck for the easily foreseeable future… perhaps keeping someone of Arashi's sort close was not a bad idea, for it seemed he had all the relevant info she needed and was more than happy to do all the socializing. Even if she weren't completely comfortable, it seemed to be working out in her favor.

"What about you, huh?" Arashi inquired, glancing over to her, "I mean, even if you don't remember anything before that weirdo ambushing you, you've gotta have _something_ in mind, yeah?"

She considered it for a moment, yet still, nothing came to mind. "I'm… not so sure, honestly…"

A giggle. "Then maybe we could make a team together! Go on missions and explore the world! Heh, it might even help you figure out what happened to get you here, aha!"

She blinked. When the Froakie worded it _that_ way, it almost sounded attractive. _Almost_.

Though again, he beckoned her along and set to hopping northeast, leaving the billboard behind. Astrid set to haplessly flying again so as not to get left behind.

"So you've seen Kecleon, you've seen the billboard…" Arashi thought out loud, mostly to himself. "What else is there… Oh! The post office!"

He made his way over to a rather large building that seemed to be carved out of an old, wide tree trunk (that was still appearing to grow shoots in some places). The top of it was carved open with only a few leafy green branches jutting out, and as Astrid took note of its features, a Swoobat shot out of the top with a bag slung over on one side and quickly vanished someplace into the distance. Out front, an Aipom and a Croagunk seemed to be having a lively conversation.

"Arashi! You meet someone new?" the Aipom called, grinning while looking their direction.

"Yup! This is Astrid!" the Froakie replied, still bouncing along.

"H-hi!" was Astrid's panicked response, too flustered to even look over at them.

In any case, the Rowlet didn't have to worry herself with conversation, for her company hopped into the entrance and she wasn't lagging behind. The inside of the post office was more spacious in the front half, since in the back half, boxes of letters and stacks of packages cluttered the wood-carved shelves and walls with a few little sprigs of greenery poking out of the walls. A few Combee buzzed about, looking the items over, and an Emolga moved them about to their appropriate places. At the front counter, a Vespiquen directed them, but on noticing the two smaller Pokémon come inside, turned her attention to them.

"Greetings, my darlings. What brings you in?" the Vespiquen inquired, voice firm but welcoming.

"Hi, Reina!" Arashi replied, "I'm just showing my friend Astrid around town; she's new to these parts. Your location is important, so here we are!"

Astrid couldn't help but think that the insectoid Pokémon was a tad bit intimidating, but somehow, her greeting eased her mind. However, she still found her feathers fluffing out a bit at yet another set of eyes on her. "H-hello," she chirped bashfully.

"Ah, so you are Astrid and you are new," Reina noted, looking her over, "Well, your company is right about my location- I take care of everything that comes in and goes out of this town by post. If you desire to send something far away, my Swoobat courier Lucy will see to it. If someone else wishes to send you something, it will come through me."

Astrid nodded. "A-ah… That _is_ pretty important, I would suppose…" she considered, then turning to Arashi, "I guess this is where your mom is coming later…?

The Froakie nodded. "Yup!"

"Oh? I can expect to see Kaminari?" Reina mused, perking up, "How lovely. I have received some more letters for her and Niles- of course, things I cannot read. Secrecy is always paramount in their dealings, it seems."

Arashi giggled, giving Astrid a playful nudge and wink at the mention of secrecy. The Rowlet didn't react, merely taking it for what it was.

"So if you ever need to take care of that sort of thing, you come here!" the Froakie said happily. "And who knows, maybe someone out there will send you something fancy!"

The Vespiquen chuckled. "Oh, wouldn't that be lovely?"

Astrid wasn't so keen on the idea, thinking she had no one to send anything to nor anyone to send her something, but perhaps if she got more acquainted with the surroundings and the inhabitants, she'd frequent. Nonetheless, she catalogued the information.

Her comrade motioned her to follow along again, noting, "Alright, so you know about Reina and the post office now in case you need it. Let's go; there's still more!"

The Rowlet nodded, and shortly Arashi was hopping along again with Astrid skittering behind.

"See you later, Reina!" the Froakie called.

"Keep well, Arashi. Nice to meet you, Astrid," Reina called back.

They were off again, blowing past the Aipom and Croagunk still conversing outside- however, it seemed their conversation had taken a turn, for the Aipom started looking annoyed and flustered while the Croagunk laughed and patted him on the back with a big smirk. Astrid wasn't sure what they were up to, and didn't bother trying to figure it out. Off on the sandy path again they went, the Rowlet flapping along closely.

"That's really all the _extremely_ important landmarks around here, so remember them if you don't remember anything else," Arashi explained, "You can meet everyone else later if you want to.~ Nez, the Nidoking that called at us earlier, looks kinda terrifying and could probably rip a boulder in half, but he's really nice and makes a really good chestnut curry! Sometimes he'll cook a big batch and invite the whole town over!"

… Maybe this place _wasn't_ so terrible.

"And Lila the Jolteon, one of my other friends, is really cool! When the weather is bad, she just goes and yells at the clouds, and it's kinda fun to watch! But if you make her mad, well… you'll want to run, aha!"

… Perhaps still a little bit terrible.

Nonetheless, a row of stones rose up on what she guessed was the edge of town, for between two large ones was fixed a gate of the sorts… or rather, an open picket fence that had definitely been worn down over time. There was little purpose in it for keeping anyone out or in, but rather it merely seemed to delineate the town's boundary, though that too didn't need much help for she could see no other dwellings or landmarks reminiscent of civilization further out.

Something tugged at her mind, though. "H-hey, Arashi…?"

"What's up?"

"D-didn't your dad say not to go too far…?"

"We aren't! We're just gonna go see the lake, and- OH MY GOODNESS!"

His sudden exclamation made Astrid squawk and give a startled flap, almost losing her place in the air. Arashi paused, and she landed on the ground next to him.

"W-what is it?! Is s-something wrong?" she hastily inquired.

If something _was_ wrong, then a smile indeed _was_ permanently plastered on his face, for he wasn't showing fear or surprise. He was gawking at _something_, and the only thing the Rowlet could see was the town's edge and two other figures on the path- a Scrafty and an Audino, the latter carrying a bag over his shoulders.

It was the Froakie's turn to stammer haplessly. "Oh, Arceus above! Astrid, I, er… Oh, goodness! Just come with me!"

He grabbed her wing again and darted off behind a house carved in stone, out of view of most everyone else, eyes huge but grin even huger. Astrid was beginning to wonder if this creature was indeed crazy, for she wasn't making sense of his mannerisms in the slightest. Surely, someone couldn't be happy literally _all_ the time.

"Arashi! What's wrong?!" she pressed, keeping her voice hushed.

"I can't look like a fanboy in front of my idols!" he cried back, trying to keep his voice low and only borderline succeeding, "Then I'll just look desperate and they'll _never_ recruit me! I gotta play it cool!"

"Your 'idols?!' _Who_?!"

"_Them_!"

He peeked his head out from behind the stone and pointed her in the direction of the Scrafty and Audino. She still wasn't completely sure what he was getting at.

"That's Rush and Rozen! The leader of the Expedition Coalition and his second-in-command! They're practically _invincible_ together!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the Scrafty when mentioning 'Rush' and the Audino for 'Rozen.' She studied the two of them, and the Scrafty seemed to have the remnants of plenty of battle wounds across his body and walked with a certain swagger to his step, while the Audino seemed as harmless as harmless could be. She was sure it was merely due to natural variation, but the Scrafty had a rather small crest atop his head that she was sure was smaller than the average… not that she had a great reference point to compare it to, for there wasn't an array of Scrafty pictures in what tiny shreds she could still recollect.

Arashi's words piqued her interest, however. "W-wait, the Expedition Coalition? Isn't that who your mom said she'd contact?"

"Yes!"

"And why are they _invincible_? _N-no one_ is invincible, I'd think…"

"Oh, pfffft! You haven't seen _them_, Astrid!" Arashi said to the contrary, "You see, Rush is… a bit of a brawler. He's an absolute madman if you get him in a fight, and allegedly he once won a fight with another expedition team, twelve-versus-one… but no one can verify that, because the other expedition team retired after he wiped the floor with them."

Her eyes went wide. "… You're kidding."

"No, I'm dead serious!"

She looked at them again, and still couldn't quite believe it. Rush certainly _looked_ the type, but…

"And Rozen isn't much for fighting, he's purely support, but you put him with someone like Rush, and, well…" Arashi's voice trailed off, "It doesn't matter _what_ you do to Rush, because Rozen is just gonna nullify it, and then you'll be down on your moves and probably your health with an angry, brawling Scrafty that's probably gonna put your head through a wall…"

"… And these are supposed to be the Pokémon that'll _help_ me…?"

Arashi's voice turned bubbly again. "Yup! They're the _best!_"

"They sound like delinquents!"

"You only have to worry about them if you're up to no good! And you're not up to no good, are you, Astrid~?"

"W-what?! N-no!"

"Then you should like them! If that creature tries to chase you again, and _they_'re here, you can just sit back and watch and enjoy yourself! It'll be great!"

"You're _crazy_!"

"Oh, don't say that! We're friends, aren't we~?"

She looked at him, feathers ruffled, completely unsure of what to say.

However, at the Kecleon Shop…

"Yo, Kecleon, my li'l green guy! Where ya at?!" Rush hollered, swaggering up to the counter without a care in the world.

"Ah, Rush, no need to be so loud when this town is so quiet," Rozen remarked.

And indeed, everyone around them _was_ quiet, as if not quite believing their eyes (all of which were on the two expeditioners). A pin dropping could be heard, if not for the conversing of Rush and the Kecleons.

"Right here, valued customer~" the green Kecleon chirped back, darting over from organizing a box's contents, "May I assist you~?"

"Yes!" Rush loudly declared, "How many Oran and Sitrus berries ya got?! I need all of 'em! Every damn one!"

"Ah, let me go check~"

The green Kecleon scurried away into the back of the tent. The purple one, however, turned his attention to them next.

"What brings you to this town, Rush~? Did our sister location near your base of operations not meet your needs~?"

"Nah!" was the Scrafty's reply, "Some other squad got up to the other Li'l Green before Rozen could, and they took the last of the berries! And man, I _needed_ those! The last mission that Cinder went on, he got _busted up_ and used the last of our supply! Y'know how it is these days; some of these incidents involving crazy Pokémon are just _crazy_, man! They just beat the hell out of every damned 'Mon they see!"

The purple Kecleon laughed. "Oh, I have heard tales~"

At that moment, the green Kecleon returned with a basket full of the berries in question. "Will thirty-six fit your needs~?"

"Perfect!" Rush affirmed, grinning and slamming his fists together, "How much?!"

"Ah...~ Four Sitrus and thirty-two Oran… That comes to 17,600.~ Is that affordable~?"

"Sure is!"

The Scrafty reached into the 'hood' around his neck and procured an armload of coins, dropping them on the counter. Kecleon quickly counted them and turned over the basket.

"Thank you for your business~"

"Thanks, Li'l Green!"

Rozen haplessly rolled his eyes at his comrade's manner of addressing the reptilian shopkeeper as he stowed the berries away in the bag, but said nothing to discourage it. Off they went, still getting a few disbelieving looks from the silent bystanders around them.

Though, further up the path, Astrid still tailed Arashi as he hopped towards the town boundary fence.

"Arashi, are you sure about this?! You _swear_ this place isn't too far?"

"I swear! I go here all the time and nothing bad has happened yet!"

There was no use protesting, she was sure. The sandy path still wound around outside the town's border, and there was very little forest to be seen. To their northwest, however, she _could_ see some more cliffs, the other sides of them obscured from view. Unsettled territory was her best guest, the outright wilderness seeming plausible too but far less appealing to think of.

The place Arashi made way to was still part of the sea that Astrid had initially seen when waking up on the beach. Still, it stretched too far for her to see the end of, though instead of a beach, there was a dirt embankment that had probably been formed from years of rain and erosion. The border was rather muddy and marshy, only a few patches of taller grass and the remnants of aquatic plants sticking up through the mud.

"Sometimes, things will wash up on this part," Arashi noted, "And sometimes the Magikarp come up to play and see who can Splash the highest. It's pretty fun to hang out here!"

"Ah…" she replied, eyeing her surroundings.

It was a peaceful atmosphere, she had to admit, at least given the circumstances. She still would have much preferred to stay within town boundaries, for it seemed a much safer place to be, but at least, if anything bad were to happen, town wasn't too far away…

_Boom!_

Their heads perked up. The Rowlet went right back to being nervous, though Arashi was still grinning.

"W-what was that?!" Astrid cried.

"Probably just a Golem sliding down a hill," the Froakie replied, "It happens occasionally, aha!"

She deflated, thinking it a reasonable explanation. One who lived in the vicinity would probably know far better than her regardless.

Arashi hopped closer to the water's edge, Astrid gingerly following along. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the swampy ground that wanted to slosh around her feet (and halfway swallow her tiny legs up), but she figured at least she had wings if her legs failed her on the terrain. The mud sloshed about under her feet and leaked through her claws, which wasn't the greatest sensation- yet Arashi didn't seem to mind it at all, which she guessed was again up to type differences. His kind was aquatic and hers lived in forests, after all.

In the rocky faces bordering town, and somewhat close to the town's outer perimeter, she could see an opening that quickly turned dark within- a cave, something akin to Arashi's house but much less welcoming and much further away from it. She studied it. "Arashi…?"

"Yeah?"

"W-what's that…?" she inquired, motioning at the entrance.

"Oh! That's Tranquil Tunnel! Don't worry about it," her company answered.

"A-ah…"

He kept hopping. She went to flapping, not wanting to become stuck.

_CrraaAAAAck!_

Their heads perked up again, and someplace off in the distance but still not too far away, a bunch of trees wavered and fell, making quite the uproar.

"Arashi, are you _sure_ that's just a Golem…?" she couldn't help but ask, giving a glance back.

He was still grinning, yet his look got a bit uncertain. "E-eh, m-maybe someone encroached on someone else's territory…?"

"Is _that_ how you settle disputes…?"

"Not really; you only really see that sort of violent negotiation in dungeons-"

"GgggGGGRRRAAAAAaaaAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

A mighty roar came from the trees not too far down the path from them, and from the greenery emerged a far larger Pokemon with a rocky body, a drill-shaped snout, and a tail like a flail- a Rhyperior, and one that looked absolutely _furious_.

"A-ah…! D-do you know who this is?!" Astrid cried in fright, studying the new figure.

"Not a clue; never seen one around these parts!" Arashi responded, still grinning. "But type advantages are in our favor! We can take 'im-"

The Rhyperior raised up one hand and shot a boulder at them from the hole in his palm. The Froakie hopped out of the way and the Rowlet quickly fluttered sideways, the boulder going between them and creating a giant wave someplace off in the water. Even if it didn't make contact, they could feel the raw energy it was shot off with- Astrid caught a breeze from its trajectory and Arashi's bubbles drifted on the wind it created. They looked at each other, both their sets of eyes wide.

"_I'm gonna kill you!_" the Rhyperior thundered, revving up for another attack.

"… On second thought," Arashi croaked, "Follow me!"

He hopped as fast as he could toward the cave entrance, Astrid flapping close behind. The Rhyperior let out another roar and bounded after them, the ground quaking as he ran.

Though, at the town's boundary, two other figures came running along the path, several confused glances coming from the townsfolk perking their heads up at the commotion.

"What the everloving _hell_ was _that_?!" Rush hollered, scanning the vicinity.

"That was a Rock Blast, if I'm not mistaken," Rozen noted, scurrying along as fast as his dainty feet could go, "And an Earthquake- must be a large Rock-type."

They both caught sight of the hulking Pokémon darting into Tranquil Tunnel, his tail battering the entrance as it swung wildly behind him.

"Hah! Have you lost your mind too and feel more at home in the dungeons?!" Rush taunted, mostly at no one since the Rhyperior couldn't hear him. "Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into ya!"

Rozen, however, stopped him, getting a slightly hesitant look. "H-hold on, Rush."

Rush gave him a glance. "_What_?" he inquired, a bit impatient.

"Didn't we see two younger ones heading this way…? A Rowlet and a Froakie? You don't think they…?"

Very quickly, Rush's face fell. "_Oh, goddammit_!" he hollered, making a fist and swinging it at the ground, "They were little pipsqueaks, too! They'll _never_ last in a dungeon by themselves!"

They shared another glance, the Scrafty's eyes narrowing.

"Don't worry yourself with me; save your Heal Pulses for those two little pipsqueaks," Rush instructed, "Arceus knows they'll probably need it. Let's go!"

The Audino was close behind, the duo quickly vanishing into the tunnel entrance themselves.

Though, within the tunnel, the light from outside quickly faded into a murky dimness that obscured almost everything from view. They couldn't hear the Rhyperior's thunderous advance, but even so, Astrid and Arashi weren't stopping, even if they could hardly see a meter in front of them.

"He's probably another of the incidents," Arashi noted, "Another incident of a Pokémon just going crazy- if we outrun him, we won't have to worry, and he'll be back to normal eventually."

The Rowlet shook her head, somewhere between panicking and sheer disbelief. "Sheesh, this is insane…" her voice trailed off. "Say, Arashi, you _do_ know the way out of here, don't you…?

Again the Froakie started beaming. "Nope! No one does!"

The Rowlet's eyes shot wide open, the disbelief suspended for panic. "_What_?! _No one_ does?!"

"Of course not!" was the still happily unfazed response, "This is a mystery dungeon! It changes paths every time someone enters it, so it's kinda impossible to know the way out! And I've never been in one either, but I guess today is just a great day for new things!"

A 'great day' was certainly not the phrase that came to Astrid's mind; the phrases that _did_ come to mind were all utterly filthy and she opted not to say them out loud.

However, she did make _one_ vocalization, more of an angry and flustered screech than anything. "_You have GOT to be KIDDING me_!"


	4. Chapter 4: Dungeon Run

"Alright! I need answers!" Astrid cried, landing on the ground in front of Arashi and putting the tips of her wings on his arms to stop him, "_What_ is a mystery dungeon?! How do we get out?! Tell me everything you know!"

The Froakie still didn't seem fazed… or maybe he was indeed paralyzed in his facial muscles; the Rowlet certainly had no idea. He chuckled. "Alright, alright, I guess I have some 'splaining to do if you're new to all this stuff. Just keep moving; we need to reach the last floor before that Rhyperior finds us if we don't wanna get splattered across the wall."

She put her wings down and resumed walking, though her head was swiveling every direction in caution. Their vision was limited, and the rocky surroundings didn't bode particularly well even if she could see nothing else _but_ rock in their vicinity. The air was damp and oppressive; she felt like the atmosphere was trying to strangle them (and maybe it was, only Arceus above knew for sure).

"You see, mystery dungeons are these weird labyrinths that occasionally get discovered, and they change layouts every time you traverse them, so it's impossible to know how to get through beforehand. They've got a set number of floors, though, and the terrain they're made of is _mostly _constant… but you've got anomalies in every bunch, so sometimes you can see a forest turning into a cave or a frozen desert. It depends which one you're going through."

Her feathers ruffled out again. "Is this one like that…?"

"Unless we get _really_ lucky and discover something new, like some secret floor, no."

Astrid wasn't sure if 'lucky' was the right word. Nonetheless, she inquired, "How many floors…?"

"For this one? Less than a dozen, last I checked."

"A-ah… That still seems like a lot…"

"Hah! Some of them span 99 floors, so this one is _nothing_!"

Still she was uncertain. She shot Arashi an unamused side glance, but said nothing.

"So to get out, we gotta reach the stairs. That's the only way you get out, short of getting KO'd or using an Escape Orb- and that last one's not an option to us right now."

Her eyes went slightly wide. "'KO'd?' As in, knocked out…? W-why would that ever happen?"

Arashi giggled. "Because of the wild Pokémon, silly! You don't think we're the _only_ ones here, do you?"

Wider. "_What_?!" she squawked.

He was still smiling. "Yup! We're not alone! The Pokémon you see here aren't like us or the ones in town; they'll come at you. You can try to run away, but they'll follow you and attack at every turn, so your best bet is to fight back. They're feral, too; they can't talk or understand you, so no reasoning your way out and asking them nicely to leave you alone. Knock them out, and they won't be bothering you again."

Astrid wasn't too sure, and her feathers ruffled up for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. Still her head swiveled around, scanning what limited vicinity she could see in the dim light. "S-so, we… we have to fight…?"

"Yup! Unless you wanna rely on throwing things, which isn't the best idea, aha!"

"Ah… B-but… H-_how_ do you fight…? I mean…"

Arashi giggled. "Just wait and see! You'll figure it out when the time comes; _every_ Pokémon knows how to battle!"

She would've felt better about that… if she were actually a natural-born Pokémon. Whether Arashi's description applied to her or not, she had no idea, and wasn't particularly excited about finding out.

Though, another thought hit her. "H-hey, Arashi… Do _you_ know how to battle…?"

He was still beaming. "The best I've got is play-fighting when I was really little and just noticing that I could spit bubbles, so I guess we'll both find out how good we are together!"

That too wasn't particularly reassuring.

Nonetheless, the rocky room they were in gave way to a narrow rocky corridor, the end of which they could not see for the dimness. Astrid eyed it carefully, while Arashi let out a cry of happiness.

"A-_ha_!" the Froakie exclaimed, staring straight down it, "A hallway! There were no stairs in this room, so we keep looking in the next!"

Astrid nodded, studying it herself. It was… narrow. Too narrow for her liking, since it seemed if they met a foe while traversing it, there would be no running away. Yet, Arashi had said that running away was a bad idea… thus they would have to fight in close-range if one came up. She didn't like it, but still, it seemed they had no choice in the matter.

"You haven't been a Pokémon for very long, so how about you go in first?" Arashi cheerfully suggested, "That way, if an enemy jumps out, you'll get some experience using your new body!"

"O-or I'll screw up and get us killed," she instantly replied to the contrary. "You're the native here; m-maybe I should watch you for a little while…"

"Pfft, where's the fun in _that_?! Go on, I'll be right behind ya!" her comrade playfully shot it down.

She acquiesced and carefully stepped into the tunnel, as if something in the ground would shoot up and devour them if she stepped too heavily. Yet, shortly, her pace turned brisk as she headed for the next end. She wanted out; she wanted to be sure the Rhyperior was nowhere near them. (And, judging from the relative silence, it seemed he was not.)

Her head swiveled back, and true to his words, Arashi was right behind her. He giggled a bit, giving her a playful wave. She looked forward again.

_Thud!_ A rather large rock fell from the side of the tunnel, landing directly in front of the Rowlet. She jumped a bit, letting out a startled squawk.

"Ooh! Did we just find company?!" Arashi exclaimed excitedly.

"D-did we…?" Astrid mused softly, glancing about.

Another _THUD_ followed, a rocky body with orange crystals falling before them- a Boldore. A growl that sounded more like scraping gravel escaped it, its orange crystals beginning to glow.

"A-ah!" Astrid exclaimed in surprise, holding one wing up.

"We did!" Arashi shouted, starting to grin wider again. "C'mon, Astrid! We've got the advantage!"

Before they could do anything, though, a beam of hot light shot out from the Boldore's crystals straight at them, which Astrid gave a quick flap to avoid and Arashi a big leap upwards. The rocky creature growled again, the Power Gem beam crashing into the wall of the cavern behind them and leaving a few dents in the rocks.

"Urgh! _Now is not the time!_" Astrid protested at the feral one, not caring that it couldn't understand her.

Another flap of her wings sent a flurry of leaves in its direction, each with a slight green glow. She didn't much know how that came about, but as they pointed in at the Boldore and collided like little darts, it seemed to be working at the very least judging by the Boldore's pained reaction.

"That's it! I knew you had it in you!" Arashi cheered.

"You can do stuff too, y'know!" Astrid shouted back.

Sure enough, the Froakie did, opening his mouth and shooting a spray of bubbles at their aggressive company. Another growl followed, the rocky creature stumbling in place a bit. In any case, the orange crystals began to glow again.

Astrid wasn't having it. Another flap, another burst of leaves from her wings, and the Boldore collapsed in front of them after one last pained growl.

"We did it!" Arashi cheered, pumping one fist in the air.

The Rowlet still wasn't dropping her guard, gently landing on the ground again with one wing up in front of her as if to shield herself with it. "S-so, it's…"

"Knocked out! We won!" Arashi replied.

It certainly didn't _seem_ to be moving any time soon. Yet still, "It's not… dead… is it…?"

"Nope, of course not! I guess maybe you wouldn't know since you're new to this world and all, but us Pokémon are pretty durable! I mean, my mom once lived through taking an Exeggutor's Frenzy Plant, even though it was super effective!"

That was… good to know, yet somehow, Astrid seriously doubted that the experience had been a pleasant one that could easily be repeated.

"Ah, good…" she was assuaged, putting her wing down.

Carefully, she stepped over the fainted Boldore with a little flap of her wings to keep steady, Arashi hopping along close behind her.

"That wasn't so bad," Arashi mused nonchalantly, giving the Boldore a glance over his shoulder.

Astrid was quiet, hoping that nothing more of the sort would come their way. Even if they'd gotten away unscathed, she was sure that not every foe would be so simple… and it certainly wouldn't be simple if their pursuer showed up.

Their corridor opened up into a larger room, still an unwelcoming rocky chamber, though one feature in particular caught their eye: a staircase on the opposite side. A slight sense of relief washed over Astrid, knowing they could shortly leave this floor behind them.

But, at the same time, it became blatantly clear that they were not alone again, for the thing they noticed immediately after the staircase was a small draconic figure haplessly tumbling about the room with perpetually snapping jaws- a Deino. The sense of relief left as fast as it had come.

For the first time since Astrid had seen him, Arashi's face fell. "… This is slightly problematic," the Froakie croaked in a low voice.

At that, the Denio's head perked up in their direction. It gave a snap of its jaws and began darting their direction.

The Rowlet and the Froakie looked at each other.

"_Fly!_" Arashi cried.

Immediately Astrid took to the air, Arashi hopping sideways out of the Deino's path. She gave a flap to use Leafage again, while Arashi shot off a Bubble, but the Deino seemed to brush them off with ease and paused as if deciding which direction to go. It shook its head, giving another snap of its jaws.

Apparently it decided Arashi's direction was better, for in barely a second afterwards, it was barreling towards him with Biting fangs bared. The Froakie looked startled for a moment and tried to leap out of the way, but the little dragon was faster and sunk its teeth into one of his back legs.

"YiiiiaaaAAAAAaaah!" Arashi hollered in pain.

"_Arashi!_" Astrid cried.

Arashi let another Bubble go, but it did little against the Deino, who rather seemed to enjoy the Froakie's limb in his mouth.

Astrid panicked for a second, her thoughts clouded by a multitude of scenarios playing over in her head. The stairs were right there; surely she could merely rush for them with the Deino occupied… Though she couldn't leave Arashi to fend for himself against that creature, since only Arceus knew what it might do and if for no other reason than her having no desire to traverse the dungeon alone. Leafage and Bubble weren't doing much, thus those attacks were out of the equation… But she had to get it off of Arashi somehow…

She gave a hard flap of her wings and rammed herself into the Deino from the air, Tackling it over. Its jaws opened in surprise and Arashi scrambled free, then immediately sent another Bubble its way. The little dragon gave a cry and went limp, its jaws still open.

Again they looked at each other, though Astrid was much more interested in the teeth marks on her comrade's body, purple from the force of the Bite and little trickles of blood dripping from broken skin. Arashi let out a pained breath, giving it a look too.

"A-are you okay…?" Astrid softly inquired, skittering closer.

He nodded. "I'm alright," he said, voice breathy from discomfort, then breaking into a little smile, "I'm still conscious and breathing, so I'm alright. I'm not gonna lie, though- that _really_ hurt, aha…!"

Astrid whimpered just a bit. "Are you gonna make it out…?"

Another nod. "Yeeeaaaaaah, just give it a little time. I'll get over it," he answered, giving the wound another glance.

The Deino was quiet on the ground, but from another corridor on the opposite side of the room came a loud yell followed by several crashing sounds and some pained growls. The floor shook, making a few pebbles drop onto the ground from above.

They didn't have to say a word to each other, for a mere glance said all it had to and they were instantly darting to the stairs. The rocky chamber was shortly empty of any conscious occupants.

Though, on the next room over, several barriers of light surrounded Rush and Rozen, the Scrafty looking frustrated at the crowd of Boldore, Graveler, and Deino surrounding them on the ground and a few Noibats fluttering about the air.

"A Monster House on the very first floor?! What the hell _is_ this?!" Rush hollered.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want a Heal Pulse?" Rozen inquired.

"NO!" the Scrafty refused, a slight smirk worming over his face. "If those kids are facing anything like this, save it for them! _I can take it!_"

Rozen nodded, a white aura glowing around his body which then transferred to Rush for a Helping Hand. Rush darted out from between the shields of Reflect and Light Screen and pounded his fist into a Graveler, the force of his Brick Break shooting the Graveler backwards into a Boldore and knocking them both out. A Deino tried in vain to Bite through one of Rozen's Reflect shields, but was unsuccessful.

"_Come get some!_" Rush loudly taunted, ducking back into Rozen's barriers.

One of the Noibat dived down with its little fangs bared, but Rush wasn't fazed. The Scrafty held one fist up and spit an acidic ooze onto it, then slammed the little bat with it. The ceiling was left with a new crater, and the ground was littered with another feral, fainted body.

Rozen shook his head haplessly. "You enjoy this _far_ too much, Rush…"

**Tranquil Tunnel 2F**

Astrid's head swiveled in almost every direction, the Rowlet constantly on the lookout for any more jaw-snapping foes. Arashi kept lookout too, but he didn't seem nearly as concerned. His hops were more labored, as he was taking care not to put too much pressure on his wounded leg and was thus getting along a bit lopsidedly.

The staircase they had just been on seemed to disappear entirely, having lead up to some opening that then vanished the second they looked back at it. A mysterious thing in a mysterious dungeon it was indeed.

Astrid deduced she _might_ have liked to roost in this place… if not for the whole being-a-mystery-dungeon thing. The dark crevices seemed like a nice hiding place, but of course, the wild Pokémon probably thought so too, and she wasn't too keen on _them_.

"H-hey, Arashi…?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that Rhyperior… was feral too? Like these ones in here…?"

He grinned a bit. "No, of course not!" was the always- cheerful response, "He was talking to us. Wild Pokémon typically can't do that."

"A-ah…"

She wasn't sure if that answer was any better than the other possibility, but she let it go in any case.

"_Screeeeeeeech!_"

They looked up at the sudden cry, taking notice of a Noibat on the ceiling that didn't seem particularly happy at their presence. It dived downwards at them, Astrid flapping out of the way and Arashi jumping aside. A Bubble only served to make it mad, and a Leafage may as well have been lightly-thrown fluff.

It turned its eyes on Astrid and made for her next, the Rowlet giving a startled cry and trying to flap out of the way. She got two fangs sunk into her anyway with a squawk of discomfort shortly accompanying the sensation, though oddly enough, it didn't feel _that_ bad.

"Hey! Get off my friend!" Arashi hollered, leaping closer.

Whatever the Noibat was Absorbing, it certainly wasn't much, and quickly it let go when it figured such out. Though, it turned Astrid loose at approximately the same time Arashi came up behind it and Pounded it with one hand. Another screech of displeasure followed, then one last cry as Astrid Tackled it. It too was on the ground, limp.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other again.

"You okay?" Arashi inquired, tilting his head to study her.

"I'm alright; it honestly didn't hurt that bad," Astrid replied, then giving a glance at the Noibat, "Must've had really tiny teeth or something…"

Arashi gave her a playfully unamused look and little nudge. "Oh, lucky you, getting the _little_ set of fangs," he chuckled.

Back to venturing they went.

**Tranquil Tunnel 3F**

"You don't think we lost him, do you…?" Astrid's voice trailed off, her gaze travelling around.

Things seemed rather quiet. There were no ground-pummeling steps, no yells from the other room, and no pebbles suddenly dislodging themselves from their rocky nests. Surely, if a foe as huge as a Rhyperior were trailing them, he wouldn't be able to do so quietly, and with a Rock Blast as powerful as they had seen, would be leaving some sort of destruction in his wake for them to discover. They had seen none of those things.

"I doubt it," Arashi answered, "He's gotta be in this dungeon somewhere. We'll only know for sure when we reach the end."

Reaching the end couldn't come fast enough, Astrid decided.

Another small corridor opened up before them in the rocks, and she stepped in without much problem. Arashi stayed close, still favoring one leg over the other.

"Less than a dozen floors, you said?" Astrid double-checked.

"Yup!"

"Good."

They trailed through the corridor and came out in another rectangular stone chamber, in which something seemed to catch Arashi's eye.

"Ah! _Yes!_" the Froakie cheered, hopping over to one corner.

She was feeling braver, but even so, Astrid didn't want to be left alone. She quickly flew after her comrade, landing beside him again.

"What?" she asked.

He held up a bright blue berry (or at least, she was sure it would be bright blue had she not been looking at it in such dim lighting), beaming in glee at it. "An Oran berry! I didn't think we'd find one in a tunnel like this!"

She studied the berry, wondering what was so wonderful about it. "An Oran berry…?"

"Yeah! They're good for healing," Arashi explained, "If you've taken damage, you eat one, and you'll be feeling much better! The thing is, this dungeon is all rocky and dark, so I didn't think any berries would be able to grow here, but hey! We got lucky!"

Astrid nodded. "Well, you got pretty beat up by that Deino, so I guess we _are_ lucky," she mused back. (Though still, she was of the opinion that 'lucky' would've been never having _met_ the Deino, but perhaps it simply couldn't be helped.)

Arashi giggled. "You're not too badly hurt, are you? We can split it," he suggested.

"No, it's all yours," she turned it down.

He gulped it down pretty quickly, and while he still had purple marks around the Bite's area, he wasn't hopping funny anymore.

They continued on, but what they didn't notice was the limp body of a fainted Noibat in the opposite corner.

In another room, someplace further away on the floor, another Noibat fell limp on the ground where Rush and Rozen trekked through, the Audino giving the bag across his body a check. Two other little draconic bats were left on the ground, not moving at all, and Rush shook one of his fists free of the acid spit adorning it. The Scrafty gave a quick look down the corridor to their back.

"Did that li'l bastard take one of our berries?" Rush inquired, glancing back at the Audino.

"It did," Rozen answered, "But only one. Maybe those youngsters will find it if it drops it; I do believe the acid splash from your Poison Jab at the others poisoned it. It should faint soon."

Rush nodded. "Sorry I didn't knock it out sooner. Damn Noibats, them little bitches are annoying…" then, with a little smirk, "But it was sure right to take the berry and _run_, ehehe!"

Rozen giggled. "It's quite alright, Rush. I'm not hurt," he assuaged his comrade. "I might be terrible for fighting, but it'll take lots more than a group of startled Noibats to do me in."

They shared a glance.

"Let's go down the tunnel it fled to," Rozen suggested, "Perhaps its senses noticed those two youngsters down there… or our Rhyperior friend."

Rush smirked, instantly going along with a swagger at the thought.

**Tranquil Tunnel 4F**

Yet the youngsters in question had already reached the stairs and were still searching for the next set.

"Hey, Astrid," Arashi got her attention.

"Hm?"

"Are you a Rowlet because you're shy or are you shy because you're a Rowlet?" the Froakie inquired, "If you're really a human, there's gotta be _some_ reason you're in that body, aha!"

She thought for a moment, still keeping a watch over all of their surroundings. "I'm… honestly not sure."

She had to admit, something about Arashi's question rang a bell, but she wasn't quite placing _why_. In any case, a dungeon was not the time to be thinking about it.

"Well hey, _I_ think your form is great; it's all fluffy!" the Froakie jested at her again, giving her wing a pat. "But y'know, we could make a really great team! It'd be great!"

"You think so?" she replied, not so much as a genuine question but rather because she was perplexed at his fixation with the idea. They hadn't even known each other a day, yet that didn't seem to dissuade the Froakie at all.

"M-hm! Just think about it! When we're fully evolved, we'd be practically perfect for each other!"

"P-perfect…?"

"Yeah! I mean, I'll be a Greninja like my mom, right? She's a Water and Dark-type that moves fast and hits hard. You'd be a Decidueye, a Grass and Ghost-type that never misses a shot and can hit enemies from far away. Whatever gets past you won't get past me, and whatever gets past me won't get past you! It's perfect!"

He certainly seemed happy with the idea, a huge grin plastered on his face. Astrid still had to think about it for a moment.

"Besides," Arashi laughed, "As it is now, you've got the advantage between us. And I guess that's a good thing on your end, because you could just KO me if I acted up, aha!"

Astrid blinked, completely unsure of what to say to that remark. It was true when she thought about it, but still… Eccentric though he may have been, she simply couldn't imagine herself attacking the Froakie next to her. (_Especially_ not in a dungeon she'd then have to traverse alone.)

_Crack!_

Something sounded from a corridor behind them, a few pebbles becoming dislodged and clattering to the ground. They looked at each other and wordlessly darted down another tunnel.

"OH, PISS OFF!" Rush thundered with a wide smirk, the force of his Brick Break leaving cracks in the wall behind the Graveler he targeted.

Rozen shook his head, staying put behind more Reflect and Light Screen barriers as a crowd of wild Pokémon surrounded them. A Boldore's Power Gem ricocheted off of one of his Light Screens and left a dent in the ceiling.

"Two Monster Houses within ten floors," the Audino noted flatly, "Lucky us…"

"This is fine! I can take 'em!" Rush hollered, unfazed.

The Scrafty would've ducked back into Rozen's shields, though a larger draconic Pokémon shot out of the darkness at them- a Noivern. Its wings were outstretched, and Rush simply wasn't fast enough to avoid its Wing Attack.

"Ngh-!" the Scrafty cried, getting pounded into the wall by the Noivern's wings.

"Rush!" Rozen cried, concern entering his countenance rather quickly.

The Scrafty slumped down onto the ground, a Graveler close by preparing a Rock Throw and the Noivern gathering a glowing ball of draconic energy in its maw. Quickly he got back to his feet, brushing himself off.

His fist shattered the Graveler's boulder the instant it came close, and another Light Screen from Rozen blocked the Noivern's Dragon Pulse.

Rush grinned wildly. "That how you wanna play, big guy?! Fine! _Let's do it!_"

He spit more acid onto his fist, and the Noivern spread its wings again.

Before the Wing Attack could collide, though, Rush's fist instead embedded itself in the Noivern's chest. A pained screech followed, though Rush quickly ducked back into Rozen's barriers.

"_Ya like that?!_" Rush shouted wildly, "'Cause I got plenty more!"

**Tranquil Tunnel 5F**

"We gotta be getting close," Arashi mused.

"I sure hope so," Astrid concurred. "I bet we're gonna have a fun time explaining this to your folks…"

The Froakie laughed. "Oh, I bet!" he brushed it off.

Astrid started to notice another sensation, though- she felt rather hungry. Perhaps she _should _have taken Arashi up on splitting the Oran berry…

Nothing but more rocks greeted them in the room the staircase below had landed them in. No wild Pokémon, no items, no staircase, thus they headed immediately for a tunnel nearest to them. Astrid wasn't hesitating before stepping in anymore.

A Graveler met them inside. It was quickly hit with Bubble and Leafage.

"Man, we're getting good at this!" Arashi cried happily.

Astrid said nothing. She simply wanted out, and this creature was in the way of them leaving.

The Graveler let out a growl, Defense Curling itself up in an attempt to lessen their damage. It had little of the desired effect, for another Leafage and Bubble knocked it out.

Astrid flapped over its limp form, and Arashi hopped. She noticed the Bite marks on his leg were beginning to heal, much faster than she was expecting.

"Did the Oran berry have _that_ big of an effect or something…? I noticed you stopped limping, but…" she inquired, swiveling her head back.

"Hm? Oh! You mean _that_," he replied, giving his own wound a glance. "That's also a dungeon phenomenon. You heal faster than normal, but you also get hungry faster. It can be a good thing or a bad thing, y'know?"

She nodded, then turned her head back around.

The tunnel opened into another larger room, where some sounds graced their senses of something tumbling and crashing around- another Deino.

Astrid's face fell. "Oh, Arceus, _no_," she mused flatly.

Arashi put one hand on her wing, still wearing his grin. "It's alright, we can take it!"

They didn't have much choice either way, for the Deino noticed them almost as soon as they walked into the room and perked its head up.

It ran at them, though they braced themselves and stayed put. As soon as it got close enough for its snapping jaws to be a problem, Astrid hurled herself at it (conveniently into its legs) and Arashi Pounded it with one hand. It fell over with a snarl, but Astrid disentangled herself from it faster than its teeth could Bite and another Pound from Arashi made it stop for the time being. They walked around it, to the other side of the room and to another corridor.

"Those things must be a real joy to live with," Astrid mused, giving the fainted Deino a glance back.

Arashi giggled. "You should see 'em when they're fully grown!"

Somehow, Astrid doubted she would want to.

The next tunnel was empty, for which Astrid was thankful.

She was even more thankful when the room it opened into contained the stairs not too far away from them, but on the other side of the room was a Boldore with glowing crystals on its back.

"Nope!" she hollered, going for the stairs as the Boldore went for them.

"See ya!" Arashi giggled in agreement, close behind her.

They were gone up the staircase before it could get too close.

**Tranquil Tunnel 6F**

"Alright, how many more…" Astrid mused to herself, glancing side to side.

"H-hey, Astrid…" Arashi's voice gingerly trailed off.

She perked up, surprised to hear Arashi sounding uncertain. She looked at him, and he looked… frightened.

Once she looked up ahead, she understood why: there was a certain Rhyperior just ahead of them that noticed them almost as fast they noticed him. Behind him was another opening from which light filtered in, Astrid guessing it was the exit.

"YOU!" the Rhyperior thundered.

Her eyes widened, and she frantically looked around for another corridor to duck into. There wasn't one.

"Astrid, this is the last floor," Arashi noted with a slightly wavering voice, "We've got no choice…"

Her feathers puffed out. "Fight…?"

He nodded. "Yup."

Another mighty roar came from their adversary's mouth, one of his cannon-like arms raising up at them. They could tell it was loaded with a simple glance.

Nonetheless, Arashi broke into a grin again, and Astrid couldn't tell if it was a forced one or if he really was excited. "C'mon, you! Do you even know who you're dealing with?!" the Froakie shouted back.

Astrid knew it was an utterly empty taunt, but nonetheless, she readied herself too.


	5. Chapter 5: A Thrashing & a Pot of Cheer

_CRACK!_

Astrid flapped over the boulder and took to the air, and Arashi leaped out of the way, the walls behind them left with a new crater as the Rhyperior's Rock Blast pounded into it. The Drill Pokémon seemed even more enraged than before at it missing.

Astrid unleashed another barrage of little glowing leaves, Arashi spit a stream of bubbles, and while their adversary definitely seemed to notice them, it was more in irritation than anything resembling pain or weakness. He shook off Astrid's leaves and growled at Arashi's Bubble, his carapace completely unscathed.

"_Stop running!_" the Rhyperior thundered at them, though he seemed to be glowering at the Rowlet in particular.

With an angry growl, he gave the ground a hard stomp with one foot, utterly destroying the rocks he stood on and sending huge cracks out from it- one straight at Arashi.

"Ah-!" the Froakie cried, startled at the ground evidently trying to swallow him up.

However, he didn't have to worry, for he felt something else on his back: Astrid's grip. The Rowlet swooped him up before the attack could do any damage, more leaves separating from her feathers with a harder flap.

"Hey! Thanks!" Arashi chirped, beaming.

Astrid said nothing, more concentrated on the problem before them.

The ground still wasn't a safe place to drop her comrade, for with more thundering steps, the Rhyperior came closer with the other arm raised to shoot at them. Quickly she swerved aside, her feet curled around the Froakie like their lives depended on it- and Arashi's probably did at that moment, as far as she could tell. The room shook with the force of the crashing boulder, pebbles clattering to the ground from further back.

Another thunderous roar filled the room, the Rhyperior raising his arm up but not to shoot rocks at them, for his hand was closed over the cannon opening. Rather, his Hammer Arm swung at them.

"EeeEEEee-!" Astrid cried, beating her wings frantically to move backwards. Whether it was boulders or fists, she didn't care to be scraped off the wall.

It barely missed her, the feathers on her belly being the only things the attack collided with. No matter, the other arm raised up for another Rock Blast- and one in too close proximity for either of its targets to feel a shred of comfort. Astrid folded her wings in, letting gravity do its work on them before the boulder could. It sailed overhead and into the wall to their side.

"Jeez! We should've just ran into the ocean!" Arashi cried haplessly.

Astrid didn't respond, but she couldn't help but feel that that would've been an equally horrible option.

In any case, the Rhyperior gave a mighty leap upwards- mighty to get off the ground with his gargantuan size and mass, seeing as he wasn't going very far off the ground- to set off another Earthquake with the two smaller creatures on the ground. Both Astrid and Arashi noticed his idea just as fast, though, and the Rowlet would've gone to swoop up her company again, but the Froakie took a leap himself and clung to a rocky plate on their opponent's leg while Astrid left the ground with her wings. Their adversary let out a growl, staring daggers at the two smaller creatures.

He raised his arm up for another Hammer Arm, but a spray of bubbles to his face made him try to wave the Froakie's attack off instead in irritation. Astrid certainly wasn't wasting any time, flitting around behind the Rhyperior and sending a Leafage into his back. More irritated growls followed, her target whirling around and flailing his arm at her while trying to get a good aim with his arm cannon.

Arashi let out a little cry of reluctance, still hanging on for dear life. Neither one of the Rhyperior's targets particularly wanted to imagine a flattened Froakie, which Arashi would probably have ended up as if he had let go.

"Arashi, can you do that again?!" Astrid cried at her comrade, fluttering backwards out of the Rhyperior's reach.

"You got it!"

A roar of frustration erupted as yet again, the Rhyperior got a face full of bubbles. One Rock Blast went off in completely the wrong direction from where the Rowlet was, but Arashi, on the other hand, found one aimed straight down at him as the Rhyperior knew _exactly_ where he was.

"_Jump!_" Astrid cried.

He did so, right as the boulder shot off. It was a narrow miss.

Astrid, however, oriented herself directly in front of the Rhyperior's face with her eyes narrowed in concentration, and let another Leafage go. Their adversary showed signs of pain rather quickly when two of her leaves embedded themselves straight into his eyes, eliciting a gravelly hiss of pain. Rocky carapace or not, when he reflexively clamped his eyes shut, a slight trickle of red dripped out from the corners, and when he opened them again, the leafy blades were still jutting out. Frantically he reached his hands up to dislodge them.

"Arashi, c'mon! Let's get out of here!" Astrid shouted, turning for the opening behind them.

"I'm right behind ya!" was the affirmation, the Froakie taking off after her.

Freedom, sweet freedom… Or at least, it would've been, if another boulder didn't go flying into the wall above the exit then crashing down in front of them, making them jump back to avoid the dislodged stones and pebbles that fell.

"A-ah…!" Astrid cried with despairing disbelief at the vanished exit.

"_What the heck!_" Arashi too protested, his countenance too growing frightened.

The both quickly turned around, and their foe was still there glowering at them. He certainly couldn't have seen them clearly, not with the obvious wounds to his eyes and the red trickles coming from them, but what he could see was evidently enough.

He growled again. "_You're not going ANYWHERE!_"

"NGAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Footsteps. Faster, lighter footsteps.

_CraaaAAAaack!_

Immediately, their adversary dropped the glare and fell unconscious, slumping forward with a Scrafty standing on his back. One of the orange armored plates on the Rhyperior's back was utterly busted to pieces with cracks spreading throughout the rest of his tough shell's posterior, a few dusty remnants still clinging to the Scrafty's fist. Moments later, an Audino came skittering in too, the ground opening up from the staircase below and then closing as if it had never opened in the first place.

"Daaaaaaamn, I was expecting more from you," Rush flatly mused, shaking his fist off. Then, breaking into a cheeky smirk, "Guess it can't be helped, though- ya acted up when _I_ was around, ehehe!"

Astrid and Arashi both instantly recognized the two new Pokémon in their vicinity as the ones they'd seen in town, and while Astrid felt a bit uncertain yet still relieved, when she looked to Arashi, she noticed that his eyes were practically bulging out of his head and his mouth hung open a bit with only tiny gasping sounds coming out.

"Arashi…?" she softly inquired. "Are you-"

He, too, passed out. The Rowlet gave a squawk of dismay, her feathers ruffling up as she tried to rouse him awake again.

Rozen already seemed to notice them, and on hearing her squeak, Rush too perked up and jumped off the Rhyperior.

"_There_ you are!" Rush exclaimed, "We'd been lookin' for you pipsqueaks!"

Rozen trotted up, Astrid still not saying a word and studying them cautiously. The Audino knelt down next to them, looking gently concerned.

"Ah, you must be quite tired… Looks like one of you has already been knocked out, poor dear…" Rozen mused.

Astrid finally found her voice. "N-no, he's just-"

… And once again, she lost it when the Audino put his hands out and emitted a light pink glowing pulse that instantly eased her nerves. Her body relaxed, her feathers flattening out again. It felt… _good_, the first enjoyable experience she'd had since she'd found herself in this world.

Arashi too seemed to take note of it, his eyes fluttering open again. Astrid couldn't help but notice that the Deino's Bite marks completely disappeared with Rozen's help.

"M-mmm… Am I… dreaming…" the Froakie's voice haphazardly trailed off.

Though instantly, he was back to his bubbly self and jumped straight up at noticing their company a second time.

"I'm not! That was _real!_ Oh my gosh, that was the _coolest_ thing I've ever seen!" Arashi cried with a grin, then turning to Astrid, "We're not dead! This is the greatest day _ever!_"

Astrid had to disagree with his assertion, but kept it to herself.

Rozen chuckled. "Ah, you've come around nicely," he said with a grin. "Are you two alright?"

The Rowlet gingerly nodded, while Arashi did so with exuberance.

However, Rush piped up from the middle of the room, "Yo, Rozen! Get a load of _this!_"

The Audino looked over, as did the two younger ones. Astrid flinched a bit as Rush raised one of the Rhyperior's eyelids, revealing the gashes she'd given him underneath them. Even if the Scrafty had beaten their foe not long ago, she couldn't help but be afraid of the gargantuan rocky creature waking again at being prodded.

"Did you two pipsqueaks _fight_ this bastard?!" Rush exclaimed.

"A-ah, w-well…" Astrid stammered.

"Yeah! We sure did!" Arashi cried happily.

Rozen's eyes went wide, and the Scrafty looked disbelieving for a second. Rush looked back at the Rhyperior, stepping back from the fainted Pokémon, while the Audino trotted over and left a few Oran berries sitting in front of their fainted foe.

"Daaaamn, Rowlet, you are _vicious_," Rush noted, then breaking into a smirk and looking at them both, "And _I like that_, ehehe!"

The little bird in question had no idea how to respond, and simply blinked without making a peep.

Arashi, however, had no trouble in finding the words to say. "She totally is, and it was great!" he gleefully carried on, "That crazy thing kept trying to Rock Blast us and said he was gonna kill us, so when he tried to cause another Earthquake, I jumped on him and gave him a face full of bubbles and Astrid did her thing too! We were gonna run, but then he wrecked the entrance and, well…" his voice trailed off as he gave the exit a glance. "Say, how _do_ we get out of here now…?"

Rush wasn't concerned, swaggering straight up to the boulder and drawing his fist back. "Don't worry about that; this ain't nothing."

Rozen quickly darted to swoop up both the smaller creatures and scuttled backwards out of Rush's way, putting up a Reflect to shield them as Rush's Brick Break smashed the boulder to pieces and light poured back into the room. Arashi looked absolutely in heaven, but Astrid was still a bit unsure what to make of them and kept a few steps away when Rozen put them back down.

"Y'all are from Tranquil Town, right?" Rush inquired, giving them a glance backwards.

"Yup!" Arashi chirped.

"Let's get you home and safe, then," the Scrafty mused, "Them crazy 'Mon… sometimes there's more than one, and y'all would just be a free meal to the _right_ one. Stay close."

Rush strode out, and Rozen beckoned them along. The fresh air and sunlight of the outside was nice to feel once more, though a quick look around revealed that the town's outskirts were somewhere further to their east, for they could see the edges. The dungeon itself opened up onto a hillside, still green and grassy but interspersed with craggy rock faces. Indeed, they didn't have much of a mind to go straying far away, though Astrid gave the Rhyperior a glance again.

"H-hey, what about..." she mused uncertainly, looking backwards. "I-is he gonna be alright, too…?"

"_That_ bastard? Don't worry," Rush answered, completely unconcerned. "If Rozen healed him straight away, he'd just go back to attacking- trust us, we tried that. You just gotta let 'em lay there all busted up for a few hours, and when they wake up, they'll be disoriented and only have vague memories of going on a goddamned rampage. The dungeon will expel him eventually and he'll probably be on his way."

"Ah…" the Rowlet accepted it.

Arashi was still beaming as he hopped along, occasionally shooting Astrid an utterly blissful look. As absurd as the events of the day thus far had been, she couldn't help but give him just a little happy look back.

"Say, what're your names?" Rush inquired, "Rowlet, you're called Astrid, yeah?"

"M-hm," she timidly answered.

"What about you, Froakie?"

"Arashi!"

"Astrid and Arashi. I'ma remember that." Rush noted, "The name's Rush, by the way, and that's Rozen."

"Ah, I suppose the dungeon happenings _did_ get in the way of a proper introduction," Rozen mused nonchalantly.

"Oh, I know who you are," Arashi replied, trying to hide his enthusiasm, "You're part of the Expedition Coalition! _Everyone_ knows who you are!"

Rozen chuckled, while Rush gave a mighty laugh and crossed his arms.

"Ehehe, I hope it's _good_ things you've heard, pipsqueak!" the Scrafty jested, "I might be an uncouth, brawling bastard, but the only asses I kick are 'Mon that _deserve_ it, ehe!"

Both he and the Froakie laughed while Rozen rolled his eyes at his comrade. Astrid felt just a bit uncomfortable at the buzz of voices, unsure what to make of the whole lot of them, but still, she figured, this arrangement was the best possible one she could have been in.

However, she did have _something_ come to mind. "H-hey, Rush, Rozen… C-can I ask you something…?"

"Shoot," the Scrafty affirmed.

"H-have you ever seen a Pokémon with a body made of wires, a head that looks like a glowing ball of spikes, and it shoots electric bolts off…?"

Arashi instantly perked up at her question too. "Ohhh! That thing that attacked you earlier and none of us have heard of it!"

Both Rush and Rozen got a funny look at her description, turning confusedly pensive and shooting each other a quick glance.

"_That's_ one I ain't ever heard of," Rush answered. "Electivire's got cable tails and spiky fur, but I'm guessing that ain't what you're talkin' about."

"N-no, it didn't have fur," Astrid affirmed. "Like, two sets of wires were its legs, then two more its hands, and one was a tail…"

"You were _attacked_ by this thing, dear?" Rozen inquired. "Are you sure it wasn't some illusion from a Psychic-type or the like?"

"N-no," she shook her head, "I tried to run away from it, and it chased me and knocked me out with a bolt… I woke up on Tranquil Beach, and I haven't seen it since… I mean, I think there would be a difference in a Psychic-type casting an illusion when you can literally feel the electricity coursing through you… It felt really bad…"

Again Rush and Rozen exchanged looks.

"… Well, that's definitely a good thing to know; ya can't be too careful with the incidents of late," Rush said, glancing around as if to keep watch.

"We'll pass that along to our researcher," Rozen affirmed. "If anything like that is wandering around and attacking smaller creatures, she'll know before anyone else."

"Th-thanks," Astrid replied softly.

Arashi, though, got a bright-eyed look again and turned to the Rowlet. "Hey, do you think we should-!"

"_No!_" she cut him off.

"What? You didn't even hear what I was gonna say!"

"I bet it's something involving that thing your mom said she'd take care of, and _no!_"

Arashi was taken aback, still grinning. "Wow, you _did_ know!"

She gave him a pointed look, while he just giggled in response. The two older Pokémon had no idea what they referenced, but still grinned at their exchange.

Nonetheless, Tranquil Town seemed abuzz when they get closer. A certain Nidoking from earlier was chatting with a Toucannon, and almost as soon as they stepped into view on the sandy path, seemed to notice the Froakie and the Rowlet.

"Oi, you two!" Nez called, running up, "We've been looking everywhere for ya since that big lad set off that Earthquake! Are ya alright?!"

"Yeah! We're all fine, Nez!" Arashi affirmed, hopping up. "So you guys noticed that Rhyperior too?"

"Oh, how could anyone _not _notice? He was rather attention-grabbing," the Toucannon mused nonchalantly.

"Aye, we sure did! And we'd noticed that you and your little friend had scampered off to the lake, but no one knew where ye were and we were worried! Oi, I'm so glad to see you unharmed!"

The Nidoking knelt down and put his arms out, and Arashi jumped into them with a grin. For a fanged, spiked creature, Nez certainly seemed rather affectionate and gentle.

The Toucannon, on the other hand, noticed Astrid- or rather, her plumage- rather quickly too and flapped over to her while exclaiming, "Ah, darling, your feathers need a good preening! That must feel utterly awful!"

Instantly, she set to preening the Rowlet, who was a bit taken aback by the gesture but not exactly protesting it. It _did_ feel nice- she just couldn't really grasp what, precisely, the Toucannon was doing except straightening out her feathers with her larger beak. Astrid couldn't help but wonder if it was unpleasant to carry such a large beak around on one's face, but the Pokémon before her didn't seem bothered by it at all.

"Oi, Niles! Your boy is back!" Nez called off someplace behind him.

And at that, a certain Inteleon came running up too, looking rather exasperated. "Arashi! Where have you _been?!_ Your mother went into Tranquil Tunnel looking for you and Astrid, and I've combed every hillside in the area!"

Arashi perked up. "Wait, Mom was there, too? We didn't see her, though!"

It was Niles' turn to pause with wide eyes. "What do you mean, 'didn't see her?'"

Rush, however, interjected. "You've got an expeditioner on your hands, my dude," he piped up, motioning at the Froakie, "They ran into the tunnel and put up a fight against that crazy bastard with the drill face. I've been doing this a _long_-ass time, I ain't ever seen anything like it from two little pipsqueaks."

As much as Astrid wasn't fond of being tiny, she couldn't help but be a bit ruffled at being called a 'pipsqueak.' But that too she didn't say.

Nez and Niles, however, seemed to notice exactly who was in their presence, for they both blinked once at the Scrafty and Audino before them. The Toucannon, however, while certainly seeming to notice them, was more intent with Astrid.

"Aye, it's Rush and Rozen! Fancy seein' ya around these parts!" Nez laughed, getting a little wave and a smirk in return.

Niles, however, seemed even more flustered. "You did _what?!_" he shouted, throwing his arms out. "And you took Astrid with you?! You could've gotten _killed!_ You've never been into a dungeon before! You've never even _battled _before!"

"Well, it was the dungeon or the Rhyperior, Dad!" Arashi protested, jumping down from Nez's arms. "Our options were kinda limited, y'know!"

At that, Niles let out a heavy sigh, putting one hand to his temple, before turning to the expeditioners at hand. "I must thank you for getting my son and his friend back safely," he breathed, still a bit overwhelmed.

"Nah, don't mention it," Rush laughed, "Ain't nobody wanna see two little pipsqueaks getting splattered across a wall somewhere. It's what we do."

"How can I repay you?"

Rush shook his head. "Nah, you don't owe us a damn thing. It's just basic decency to your fellow 'Mon. You'd do the same, I'm sure."

Niles nodded, getting ahold of himself. He glanced between Astrid and Arashi. "… I'm just glad it all worked out. We should just forget this ever happened."

Rozen, though, gave a warm glance to the Rowlet who was still looking rather shy, then looked to the Toucannon. "Are you her caretaker? I'm assuming you're not her mother," he inquired.

Astrid got a bit flustered again, not quite sure exactly what to say. "A-ah, I, er-"

"Oh, no, I'm Toko. My little one is a Pikipek. I've only seen this little darling around town just today, but heavens, it looks like she's been through a war zone… Poor dear, I can't stand my feathers bent out of whack; I have no idea how she's handling it so well…"

"A-ah, it's not so bad…" Astrid mused gingerly, but still rather enjoying Toko's intervention.

"Me and my mate are also her caretakers," Niles jumped back in, "She was attacked by a strange creature and is presently suffering from amnesia. We're taking care of her for the time being."

And yet again, Astrid was left utterly speechless. They hadn't even known her, a stray and crazy-talking human-turned-Rowlet, for a full day, and yet… Somehow, she hadn't quite figured out that they were intent on taking her in, but Niles' words affirmed it. It touched her.

"Well, then it looks like our work here is done," Rush mused, "Y'all take care, a'ight? And if _you_ two-" he pointed at Astrid and Arashi, "-ever wanna go on expeditions when you're a little older and stronger, hit me up, 'cause I'd make a spot on our team for 'Mon like you _any_ day! Only reason I don't ask _now_ is 'cause I don't favor sending little unevolved pipsqueaks off into the badlands to die, ehehe!"

The beaming, starry-eyed look returned to Arashi, his mouth falling open again, while Astrid merely blinked. In any case, Rush and Rozen were setting off, and Astrid gave the Froakie a little nudge to prevent him from passing out again. Nez chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Ya take care of yourselves too!" Nez called.

"Be careful out there!" Toko hollered back.

"Thank you again!" Niles too called.

Rozen gave a little wave, while a little laugh could be heard coming from Rush.

The ones left in the outskirts turned back to each other, except for Toko, who was still apparently hard at work straightening out Astrid's plumage.

Arashi looked to his father. "When did Mom go in? Really, I feel like we should've seen her if we were there at the same time," he inquired.

"Not too long after word got back that a Rhyperior went rampaging by the lake and we couldn't find either one of you," Niles answered, "There's no telling what those mindless Pokémon will do. We assumed the worst and figured if we couldn't track you down, you'd probably been dragged into the dungeon… not that you had ventured in on your own volition. She said she was expecting to find the both of you huddled up in a corner somewhere, probably fainted or hurt, and she's the better equipped between us to clear a dungeon alone, so she went to go get you while I looked for you here."

An awkward giggle came from Arashi, who innocuously stuck one hand behind his head. "Aha, I guess that means we were several floors ahead…"

Astrid looked to the ground. She wasn't worried about Kaminari in the least, but she felt bad for giving her the trouble of dungeon crawling in the first place.

Nez, however, got a big grin. "Well, if everything is alright, I guess this calls for another curry night in celebration!" he happily declared.

That certainly seemed a pleasant idea to the Tranquil Town natives, who immediately perked up (the Froakie in particular going right back to beaming).

"Oho, that is _always_ a fine idea, Nez!" Toko affirmed, only briefly looking up from preening Astrid's wing.

"Yes! Astrid, you haven't lived until you've had Nez's curry!" Arashi cried happily.

She broke into a bit of a grin. "A-ah, I'm l-looking forward to it…"

"_There_ you are!" came a familiar Greninja's voice.

They looked up, and there was Kaminari on the sandy path. True to her name, it seemed like less than a second before she was in their midst, and they all yet again were going through the motions of informing her what, exactly, had transpired. Astrid quickly figured out that her expressions of frustration at the two of them venturing into a dungeon were even louder and wilder than Niles' had been, and it borderline frightened her.

Yet still, she made a mental note that, if she were stuck in this world, she couldn't have better Pokémon to be with. As flustered as it all made her… she couldn't doubt that they didn't truly care about her for a second.

… Maybe, just _maybe_… overlooking the near-death experiences (that indeed were rather hard to overlook)… this _wasn't_ so bad.

* * *

"Ahhhhh, Nez, you just make me wanna fire a Discharge off to the heavens! How can the gods make a Pokémon so good at cooking?! It just isn't fair!" A Jolteon cried, absolutely enthralled with the bowl of curry before her.

"Sister, can I have a bite? Mine's all gone," a little Eevee at her side asked.

"Gwahahaha! Lila, you flatter me!" the Nidoking laughed cheerfully, stirring perhaps the biggest pot Astrid had ever laid eyes on. He looked over to the little Eevee and called, "There's plenty more, Veeko! Bring me your bowl!"

The little Eevee eagerly took it up in his mouth and trotted over to Nez, who filled it back up with a happy chuckle.

The sun was beginning to go down, but Tranquil Town was still abuzz with cheerful visiting out front of the Nidoking's cottage. Even the Kecleons and Reina's brigade left their posts, apparently enticed by Nez's god-tier cooking skills and the beckoning of the Nidoking himself. Several Fire-types- a Flareon, a Torkoal, and Chandelure- lit up their surroundings both with their natural flame and by setting a blaze to some carefully mounted torches, which provided some brightness to stave off the encroaching night. It wasn't a large town by any means, but Astrid couldn't help but think that the forty or so Pokémon gathered around was a bit of a crowd, though her Froakie comrade didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. They were all very nice, to be sure, but the Rowlet would have preferred a smaller gathering in any case.

Furthermore, she had become somewhat flustered the moment she had obtained a bowl of curry for herself. She quickly realized that she was not sure how to eat in this new body, and thus stared blankly for a moment while trying to figure it out. Instinctively, she reached out with her wings, but quickly deduced that they would be of no help to her and quickly put them back at her side. She had to look to Toko, her Staraptor mate, and their Pikipek child before she figured out that she should be using her beak. It still felt awkward, but at least it worked.

Niles, Kaminari, Reina, and an Umbreon seemed to be having a vibrant conversation, while an Ambipom and Heracross seemed to be carrying on about some juicy piece of gossip interspersed with occasional laughter.

Astrid and Arashi found themselves approached by an Aipom and Croagunk, whom Astrid recognized from outside the post office from earlier in the day, along with Lila the Jolteon she'd seen wandering about.

"Hi, guys!" Arashi chirped after swallowing a mouthful of Nez's wonderful cooking. Then to Astrid, "Hah, you haven't met my other pals! This is great!"

"'Sup, Arashi!" the Aipom greeted.

"Why, hello there, fellow Tranquil resident~" the Croagunk chirped, her voice coming off as shifty but somehow well-meaning.

"Evening!" Lila said happily.

The Croagunk looked at Astrid, while Arashi and the Aipom exchanged quick high-fives.

"Say, your name is Astrid? We didn't get the chance to say hi and talk about the strange happenings of the universe," the Croagunk mused with a grin.

Astrid fluffed out a bit, slightly caught off guard. "Oh! U-um, h-hi," she responded.

The Croagunk reached a hand out, and Astrid reached her wing out to shake it.

"I'm Trixie," the Toxic Mouth Pokémon noted with a grin, taking her hand back.

"And I'm Charlie!" the Aipom introduced himself.

"I'm Lila, and that little Eevee over there is my little brother, Veeko! It's always nice when new Pokémon roll in!" the Jolteon greeted.

Astrid was still fluffed out, but they would've seen her blushing if not for the feathers in the way. The edges of her beak curled up a little in a smile. "H-hi.~"

Charlie held his tail-hand out for a high-five, which Astrid reciprocated by awkwardly touching it with her wing.

Lila sat down on her back legs, her fur seeming to buzz just a bit. "So, how was the mystery dungeon?" she inquired, looking both Astrid and Arashi over, "Was it fun? Scary?"

Astrid had to think about it for a second, her gaze travelling to ground on her side. "A-ah, it wasn't _terrible,_ I guess…"

"Well, I got to see my heroes in action and they said we did great, so having a Deino try to eat me was _totally_ worth it!" Arashi gleefully exclaimed. Then, turning to Astrid, "See?! We should make a team! It'd be fantastic!"

She wasn't completely in agreement. "H-hey now, let's not be hasty," her voice trailed off.

Trixie chuckled. "And just what would you name it? Team Useless Posers?"

She laughed at her own joke, but Arashi frowned at her and playfully spit a few bubbles at her, which she all popped while still giggling. Lila rolled her eyes, and Astrid simply blinked without saying a word.

"Don't mind her; she does this to everyone," Charlie mused to the Rowlet.

Astrid nodded. "S-so, you all know each other?"

"Yep, we sure do!" Lila affirmed. "I'm just glad the friend Arashi brought home this time wasn't another feral Geodude that he thought was trying to communicate with sign language!"

Again, Arashi's face fell. "That was _four years ago_, Lila!" he protested.

"It sure was, and I am _never_ letting you forget it!" the Jolteon brushed him off with a grin.

Lila got some bubbles to the face too, but despite his protestations, Arashi was still smiling. Astrid could easily imagine the situation playing out that they described, and it made her smile too, if only just a bit.

"Y'know, the last time I went into a mystery dungeon, it was 'cause Veeko got lost while we were visiting my grandma out in her forest, and I found him all huddled up in a shrub and crying," Lila mused with a chuckle, "Man, come to think of it, only reason I'm a Jolteon now is _'cause_ I wandered into one! Me and some of my other friends decided to explore a cave, and there were all these feral Zubats guarding these really pretty stones, I got ahold of one with a lightning bolt on it, and what do ya know! I went a little further, found this strange talking crystal on our way out, it asked me if I wanted to evolve, and now I'm all cool and sparky, heehee!"

"You're lucky, it's getting harder and harder to find evolution spots these days," Trixie said while giving her a nudge. "Sometimes, I just really wanna have long poisonous claws, y'know?"

"No, Trixie, _we_ don't know, but you certainly do," Charlie jested.

At that moment, however, Nez came trotting over, wearing a warm grin that made him look more like a teddy bear than any sort of creature befitting of poisonous horns and venomous fangs. "Good evening, youngsters!" he chirped.

"Thanks for having us all, Nez; you're my favorite Nidoking," Trixie chirped back.

"He's the _only_ Nidoking," Charlie interjected playfully.

"Well, best and only, I see nothing wrong," Nez chuckled at them, then looking to Astrid, "Say, Astrid, Niles and Kaminari say you've got a case of amnesia- do ya mind me asking if that's true?"

The Rowlet ruffled up a bit more, but nonetheless, "O-oh, y-yeah, that's true," she replied, "Is… is that all they told you…?" she inquired, wondering just how much of her info the Nidoking before her knew (and the other ones gathered around her would probably hear as a result). She wasn't too keen on having everyone know her exact situation if it was indeed as odd or weighty as Arashi's parents had conveyed; the connotations still frightened her a bit.

"Well, that and that you apparently had a run-in with a strange beastie," Nez answered, "Which is abominable as it is- you're an adorable lassie!"

She wasn't quite sure what to make of being called 'adorable,' but simply took it as it was.

"And y'know, because you're such an adorable lassie, I'm sure someone out there is missing ya," the Nidoking continued, "Someone you might have a closer connection with that you belong with. Not that I nor anyone else is eager for you to leave, but say, what if I put up a few flyers in the surrounding areas asking if anyone knew about ya disappearing?"

… She wasn't expecting that, and she wasn't quite sure what to think.

Apparently, Arashi wasn't either. "Awww, and what if someone _does _say something? We had just become friends!" he protested.

"Well, your folks would be upset if you disappeared too, Arashi," Lila said to the contrary.

Quickly, Astrid mulled it over. She had a distinct feeling that it would be of no help on account of her not being from this world, yet still, she had a feeling she was forgetting something before she'd woken up in the forest, what with the voice she couldn't quite recall lingering in her head… Maybe it _could_ help her. And even if it couldn't, no harm would be done by it.

"A-alright, go ahead i-if you want to," she affirmed. "It can't hurt…"

She felt Arashi's hand on her wing again, and glanced over. They didn't have to say anything; they both knew a former human was not someone likely to be missed anywhere in the world she'd ended up on. Still, Arashi seemed a bit downcast at the idea of her leaving, and Astrid's gaze only wordlessly affirmed that she had no intentions of doing so. As crazy and bubbly as he seemed, and as much _not_ like that as she was… she had a distinct gut feeling that this was someone she simply shouldn't, or perhaps _couldn't_, throw away so easily.

The Nidoking chuckled, leaning down as much as his short legs could to give her a pat on the wing. "Aye, lassie, whatever the case, I hope you're comfortable while you're here and things start looking up for ya after this wreck of a day you've had. If ya ever need anything, _anything_, ya can come to me and Uncle Nez will take care of ya, too."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks, you guys…"

Arashi grinned, worming one of his arms around her.

They stayed out for quite some time until the sun was completely gone, at which point Niles and Kaminari called both Astrid and Arashi back home with them- but not before Astrid had inquired of Toko how to properly preen, which the Toucannon and her mate happily showed her. She was certainly ready to crash after the day's events, and followed along down the beach with no trouble.

… Yet still, from the edges of town where no one could see, a certain creature kept watch over her every move, just waiting for an opening.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: I'd just like to jump in and say that the scene of Toko preening Astrid was more or less due to watching my pet pigeon tending her feathers. She's always making happy sounds while she does it and seems to think my fingers are just really bent-out-of-shape feathers, so I suppose it must feel good to her and she thinks I need help. Matter of fact, she's cooing as she preens while I'm writing this, ehehe._

_Also, on another note, my friend (and editor) brought it to my attention that apparently, in the anime, Ash's Rowlet was raised by a family of Toucannons. I was completely unaware of this until he mentioned it, so whatever references you may be picking up were completely unintentional seeing as I do not watch the Pokémon anime. I merely picked Toucannon because I think they're pretty (and happen to have a shiny one as well)._


	6. Chapter 6: The Beast

"Little one, you look completely bushed," Kaminari noted of Astrid as the Rowlet skittered in through the blue curtain doorway.

"Ah, I _feel_ it, too…" Astrid tiredly affirmed.

"We'll get you a place to roost soon, worry not," Niles gently assuaged her.

"Arashi, you're sharing a room now," Kaminari informed, giving her son a glance.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, the Froakie's face lit up and he let out a happy squeal. "_Yes!_ It's like a sleepover that never ends!"

Niles and Kaminari both shot each other amused looks at Arashi's antics, and Astrid figured this was nothing out of the ordinary. As easygoing and laid-back as the Greninja and Inteleon seemed to be, she couldn't place how, precisely, they had evidently raised such a wildly excited child- which she couldn't help but chalk up to the gods having a sense of humor. That must have been the only reasonable explanation for _everything_ that had happened that day, she thought to herself.

Nonetheless, she had to admit, she was certainly ready for a roost. Niles retrieved one of the baskets from the main room shelves and moved its contents elsewhere, and the Rowlet found it rather cozy being snugly curled up inside of it- apparently such was normal to her species, or so Arashi's parents seemed to indicate. She liked it even better when Kaminari nestled it into one of the empty stone cupboards in Arashi's room, and the Greninja certainly seemed rather amused at her taking such an instant liking to it.

"If you need anything- either one of you, but Arashi already knows this- you can come wake us," Kaminari noted, reaching up to turn out the lantern on the ceiling and giving Astrid a glance, "And if that strange beast shows up for any reason, it'll quickly figure out it wandered into the wrong den."

Astrid gave a little nod, and shortly the room was left dark. She heard the curtain swooshing as Kaminari strode out.

"Hey, Arashi…?" she inquired softly, glancing down at the little blue cushion the Froakie curled up on.

"Yeah?" was the soft-but-happy reply.

"What was that whole 'team' thing you were talking about earlier...? We… go on missions and explore uncharted places…?"

"M-hm!" was the excited answer, hardly above a whisper.

It seemed to be the best way to obtain the information she wanted, whatever the case may have been. And seeing as she definitely _wanted_ answers...

"… I'm in if you're in." she declared.

The Froakie's lively grin wasn't too visible in the dark, but Astrid could certainly hear his bubbly gasp of cheer. "You are?! _Yes!_" he softly exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low but not _completely_ succeeding.

Astrid chuckled, though just a bit.

"Hey, can we talk about this in the morning or something? I'm a little sleepy, and you seem more tired than anyone," Arashi inquired.

"Sure," Astrid agreed.

"G'night, Astrid~"

"Goodnight, Arashi."

* * *

The next morning though, just as the sun was beginning to show itself, a certain Nidoking walked along the sandy path out of town without a care in the world, carefully clutching a little stack of papers bearing the image of a Rowlet.

"What a lovely morning," Nez mused to himself.

A few Magikarp Splashed about in the lake, perhaps trying to outdo each other in how high they could go, until a Gyarados poked up from the surface and utterly put them all to shame. The Nidoking giggled happily at the big splash the Atrocious Pokémon made before it vanished into the waters again.

"And what a ferociously lovely 'Mon!"

Not even a sudden Rain Dance could rain on Nez's parade. It was simply too beautiful a day, or so the Nidoking would have indicated had there been anyone there to ask him.

Tranquil Town soon became rather small on the horizon, and the sandy path turned to dirt with some trees dotting the ground on both sides and a rocky cliff face to the west that the trees disappeared into some ways off.

"Hum, hum, Craggy Crossroads, here I come…~" Nez hummed.

_Crack!_

He perked up a bit, glancing around with a grin still on his face but seeing nothing. "Oi, do I have company? No need to be shy, now! Nez ain't gonna fight ya!"

… Nothing. He brushed it off as a tree branch getting itself into a less-than-stellar position, though it certainly sounded like something else. If it was to be concerned with, it would show itself, and if it wasn't, he wasn't going to pay it any mind. The morning mist still on the ground was too nice and the fresh air too peaceful.

A slight breeze blowing through managed to shake one of the papers in his hand loose and carried it backwards.

"Ah, by the gods!" he exclaimed, quickly turning around to reach for it.

However, it shortly appeared he wouldn't need to reach far, for someone else had caught it in a copper-plated wired hand, the other hand raised with a green sphere of energy already formed in it and poised to attack.

Nez stared for a moment at the creature before him, and it seemed to stare back… or at least it probably would have, if it had anything resembling a face on the spiked glowing ball that formed its head. Its entire body was coursing with electrical sparks running along the cables that formed it.

The creature spoke first, pointing the Energy Ball at the ground and away from the Nidoking. "Alright, it's too late for me to _not_ be seen," said its metallic voice, "If you're looking for someone that the Rowlet belongs with, that's _me_."

Nez, however, growled and narrowed his eyes at the creature. "… You're the beastie she told us about," he snarled, instantly putting Astrid's description and the beast's visage together.

"So you know I'm a Beast and not one of your kind. I'm not sure _how_ you got that info, but that's not something I'd expect anyone on this world to know. Who told you?"

"It's plainly obvious you're a crazy beast, ya devil," Nez shot back, "Why don't _you_ tell _me_ something- who goes attacking little unevolved lassies or laddies in a forest while they're confused and scared?"

"I don't have time to explain myself. _I need that Rowlet_, and she's _supposed_ to be with _me_ instead of whoever has her now. And I definitely _don't need you_ broadcasting her position to everyone else like you're intent on doing, either."

The Nidoking snarled again, looking the creature over. Whatever it wanted with her, just from the way it was carrying itself in the conversation, he had to doubt it was anything that Astrid would've wanted a part in. Niles and Kaminari had described her as being extremely flustered and wary, and anyone that put another Pokémon in a state like that without provocation couldn't have been up to anything that _wasn't_ nefarious, Nez decided. He wasn't buying it, not for one second.

"Devil, ye ain't got good intentions, I can tell."

The Energy Ball pointed back at Nez, a jolt of electricity coming out of the beast's other hand that sparked the paper into igniting and quickly burning away. "Doubt me if you want. You wouldn't understand my intentions even if I told you. But if it's force you want to settle this with, then that's not a problem- I've faced foes a _lot_ more formidable than you, believe me."

Nez's claws tightened up into something of a fist and he stared daggers; this clearly wasn't a creature that could be negotiated with. "Oho, I ain't afraid of ya, beastie! If little Astrid can't give ya the what for,_ I_ will!"

The Nidoking leaped up and slammed the ground with a mighty stomp on his way back down, setting off an Earthquake while the Beast before him let the Energy Ball go. Nez jerked sideways and let the attack sail past, the Beast likewise jumping back and dashing aside before one of the fissures could strike. It wrapped one arm around a tree branch and pulled itself up out of the Earthquake's reach, its body taking a rainbow-colored glow that shortly flared into a blinding Dazzling Gleam.

"Agh-!" Nez cried, shielding his eyes.

Even if his Poison-typing would normally resist a Fairy move, Nez felt the attack, and it certainly wasn't a dazzling feeling like the move's name would imply. The light outright burned, making him grit his fangs.

"Are you sure about that?" came the metallic voice again.

The gleam faded fairly quickly, and Nez charged the tree the creature took cover in. The Beast jumped down, another Energy Ball glowing in one hand while the trunk splintered and snapped with the Nidoking's force. A loud clattering followed as the tree went toppling over, yet still the Beast was unharmed, running opposite the direction the tree fell and toward Nez.

Another growl came from the Nidoking, who picked himself up and pointed his venomous horn at his foe. He rushed again, intending to give the Beast a Poison Jab, but the wired creature was faster in shooting an Energy Ball.

And by the gods above, did it have energy to it. Nez would have let out a cry of pain, but his body just wouldn't respond for the pained feeling that quickly overtook him. He stumbled and fell onto the ground, little snarling gasps escaping his maw and his limbs trying to move but just feeling far too heavy.

The Beast strode up, completely unbothered, and snatched up Nez's posters (that had a few holes torn in them from the Nidoking's claws).

"That's the absolute _last_ thing that needs to happen right now," the metallic voice mused, sparking the papers into igniting.

_Crackle!_

It hadn't been a tree branch before; it was the creature's body crackling with electricity. The Nidoking wasn't worried about the sparks on account of his type making him immune, but anyone else probably would have been.

"A-agh…! Ye…!" Nez gasped, countenance pained and contorted in frustration.

… He didn't like this wired creature. Whatever it wanted, it gave Nez a sinking feeling in his chest. One shaking claw lifted off the ground, but Nez's vision blurred over and faded to black before he could even reach for the Beast.

Elsewhere on Tranquil Beach, however, there was little trouble to be seen anywhere. Astrid's feathers were still a bit ruffled out from sleeping, and Arashi still rubbed his eyes a bit, but they were both content as they perched on the table and made quick work of a few pieces of fruit for breakfast. It appeared Niles and Kaminari had already been stirring some hours before, for they weren't drowsy at all and Niles in particular was organizing the contents of a bag he then slung over one shoulder.

"What's the situation this time?" Kaminari inquired of her mate.

"Well, a few individuals of questionable standing have given indications that they are affiliated with probably the most wanted Pokémon this side of the continent, thus she may or may not have a syndicate. I'll tell you more later," Niles answered.

Arashi started grinning. "Ooh, you mean Salem?!"

Niles chuckled. "Yes, dear, but everything else is classified," was the response.

Astrid wasn't going to ask questions. The wanted poster in town had told her all she needed to know.

"You've got a mission tonight as well?" Niles asked Kaminari.

"Yes, an outlaw sighting, but I don't expect it taking long," the Greninja answered. "The one _tomorrow_, on the other hand, might keep me gone for most of the day, but that's par."

The Inteleon nodded. "I _should_ be back before sundown at the latest," he noted.

Kaminari looked at the two younger ones present. "If I have to leave before then, I'll ask Nez or Reina if they can keep an eye on you. Normally there wouldn't be anything to worry about, but if there are any more rogue creatures running around after yesterday, I want you accounted for."

Astrid and Arashi both nodded.

Niles, though, reached his arms around Kaminari and embraced her, and she returned the gesture.

"I love you, honey," said the Inteleon.

"I love you too, dear," was the reply.

Arashi rolled his eyes a bit at their gesture, looking slightly amused. Astrid angled her eyes downwards, feeling a bit awkward at it all.

"I'll see you all later!" Niles called, strolling out through the curtain door.

"Bye, Dad!" Arashi called back, leaping down from the table.

Astrid too leapt down shortly.

"By the way," Kaminari said, casting her gaze on them again, "Niles and I discussed it last night that, since you two cleared a dungeon by yourselves, we're not so worried about you venturing outside of town alone but _only_ if you stick close to each other. Just be careful- and I say that more for _you_, Arashi."

Her son got a sheepish look. "A-alright, Mom…~"

Astrid only nodded without a word.

In any case, shortly the two of them were out the door, Astrid flapping along to keep up with the Froakie. There were no wired creatures on the beach nor the steps going through the rocky faces, which greatly put Astrid at ease. She felt quite a bit better after a good night's rest, though somehow she felt that sleeping in a basket nudged into a shelf would have been strange in any other case. As was the case with most things, she had no reference point to go by to be sure, though.

The town didn't seem to be as abuzz as it had been yesterday, however. There weren't many Pokémon strolling around outside their houses or talking to each other, which Astrid chalked up to it being early in the day and thus perhaps they were sleeping. Nez wasn't there to call at them, and none of Arashi's associates that Astrid had met yesterday were out and about. The Rowlet didn't mind the relative quietness, but Arashi, on the other hand, seemed to notice something was off.

"Sheesh, where is everyone? Lila's always up by now at the least, and Nez is always out and about…" he mused.

Astrid looked around. "This… isn't normal? I mean, it was around midday when you found me yesterday, right? No one is still sleeping?"

Arashi shook his head. "No, the only Pokemon that would still be sleeping are Hoothoot and Murkrow…"

As far as Flying-types went, a Staraptor- one that Astrid easily recognized from the previous night- went speeding overhead towards the beach. They gave him a glance but otherwise thought nothing of it.

The Kecleons were out, however, and Arashi bounced up to them.

"Good day~" the green one chirped.

"Can we help you~?" asked the purple one.

"Is there some huge event that we missed?" Arashi inquired. "Why's town so quiet?"

At that, the Kecleons instantly got a bit wide-eyed and looked at each other, as if a bit unsure of the words to say. Arashi tilted his head to the side and studied them, while Astrid started feeling a bit uncertain at seeing their uncomfortable gestures.

"W-well…~" the green one stammered.

"You might just want to go see for yourselves…~" the purple one's voice trailed off as he looked to the northeast, "I know that Nidoking is quite a sweet creature, but…~"

"That species isn't known for being weak, either…~" the green one likewise seemed rather unsure.

That piqued Arashi's interest, and Astrid likewise had a few questions too.

"Nez? Did something happen to Nez?" Arashi pressed, looking concerned and leaning on his hands a bit. "What'd he do?"

"Oh, _he_ didn't do anything, but…~" the purple one still wasn't sure of what to tell them.

"Just go to the town's gate and ask…~" the green one instructed.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, then set off towards the town boundary with worry in their expressions. The Rowlet couldn't imagine anyone having trouble with the Nidoking; even if she had only met him one day ago, the fact that he was not a troublemaker could not have been more blatant. The only thing that came to mind was another Pokémon driven out of their mind like the Rhyperior, or perhaps a feral like the Deino that gave them trouble in the tunnel, and if _that_ was the case, that didn't bode well either. Yet, if incidents like those were supposed to be rare…

Sure enough, at the edge of town had gathered something of a crowd, and instantly Trixie and Charlie came running up to them.

"You guys! What happened?!" Arashi inquired, hopping up.

"W-what's wrong…?" Astrid inquired.

"Nez got attacked and they beat him up real good, like, _real_ good," Trixie answered.

"Nez! Astrid's here, you can ask her!" Charlie called over his shoulder.

Arashi looked to the Rowlet, who looked to the Aipom with slightly wide eyes. Several of the other Pokemon gave their new company some glances and stepped aside.

"A-ask me what…?"

Both the Aipom and Croagunk motioned them to follow along, which Astrid did with Arashi close behind as they scooted through the others gathered around. Lila was there at the front too, giving them a knowingly perturbed look.

Trixie hadn't been lying, they found out fairly quickly. Nez was slumped on the ground, eyes barely open and his tough purple hide singed in several places as if he'd been burned by pure energy. His breathing was labored, and he was barely able to respond even as a Flareon tried to nudge an Oran berry into his mouth. There was no blood, no bones sticking out anywhere, yet merely looking at him was enough to send a chill down their spines.

Astrid gasped, holding both her wings up. "_Arceus above!_ Are you alright?!"

"Nez! Nez, what happened?!" Arashi cried, bouncing closer.

Slowly, the Nidoking's eyes shifted to them.

"He said it was the creature you saw," Trixie noted, giving Astrid a nudge. "Right, Nez?"

Astrid's eyes widened.

"Aye…" Nez gasped out.

The Rowlet whimpered, and Arashi too started getting wide eyes.

The bolt that hit Astrid had hurt, sure, but _this_… This was something else entirely. She'd woken up just fine from the hit she'd taken, yet Nez was a fully evolved Pokémon native to this world that _didn't_ need to adjust to his body when seeing something else come at him… Here he was, hardly able to move and clearly bearing the marks of a hostile encounter. It almost made her wonder how she'd gotten away from it while still keeping her life.

The Flareon nudged the berry between Nez's teeth with his paw, being very gentle not to unnecessarily touch the Nidoking. A Heracross too very gently closed Nez's maw around it, Nez letting out a little groan of pain. Nonetheless, his eyes blinked a few times afterwards and he gulped the berry down, gaining back a bit of vibrancy.

Gingerly, Astrid walked closer and placed the tip of her wing on the Nidoking's cheek. "Nez…?"

"I seen your beast, lassie…" Nez said, slowly shifting around. "You weren't lyin' at all, not that I thought ya were…"

Everyone gave the Nidoking some space as he carefully got back to his feet, evidently receiving some of the energy he lacked from the Oran berry. The Heracross helped him get steady, which Nez gently thanked it for.

"W-what happened…?" Astrid asked, eyes drooping a bit. "W-why would it go after you?"

At that moment though, the Staraptor flew over again and a certain Greninja jumped down from his back before he landed, likewise rushing over to the Nidoking.

"Nez! That creature attacked you?!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Is it still here?!"

She already had a Water Shuriken in one hand ready to go after it if it was, but Nez shook his head.

"I was further away from town and closer to the Crossroads," Nez answered, "It knocked me out. I have no idea where it's at now; I didn't see it on the way back nor did Cobalt and Blaze while they were helpin' me, and they were the ones more keeping watch."

Astrid assumed 'Cobalt' referred to the Heracross and 'Blaze' referred to the Flareon.

Nez looked to Astrid. "Lassie, you say it was made mostly of black wires with a spiky ball for a head, and it's probably an Electric-type?"

Astrid nodded.

"Then we saw the same beast," Nez declared. "It even outright _called_ itself a beast and said it wasn't a normal Pokémon like the rest of us. I'm inclined to think that's true…"

Several confused mutters and surprised musings went around at Nez's words. Kaminari got a more concentrated expression, her Water Shuriken dissipating but her fingers clenching up just a bit.

"I'm no battle-seeker, and I'm _certainly_ not as good at it as you are, Kaminari, but my tail has thrown around a few Golems before while I was running errands in feral territory. This thing wiped the floor with me before I could even touch it, and even though I'm immune to Electric-type attacks and resist Fairy ones, that thing's Dazzling Gleam was just downright _painful_. And its Energy Ball… Agh, I don't even wanna think about taking one of those again…"

Some more worried voices went around. Astrid's eyes went wide, and looking at her company beside her revealed similar stunned looks of concern on Arashi, Charlie, and Trixie's faces.

"Woooow, that is _gnarly_," the Croagunk mused, earning herself an elbow to the side from the Aipom next to her and a sideways glance from her Jolteon associate.

"So it talked to you and said it wasn't a Pokémon? What else did it say?" Kaminari inquired.

Nez's countenance shifted from tired to slightly worried, his gaze going to Astrid. "That it's after that lassie there, and I don't think it's got good intentions for her, either."

Wider went Astrid's eyes. Arashi stuck a hand on her wing.

"It noticed that I had those flyers in my hand and was about to attack me before _I_ noticed _it_, and it said it was the one that you were supposed to be with and that it _needed_ you. Obviously, I didn't believe it seeing as you're scared of the thing, it said it didn't care what I thought and that it didn't need me broadcasting your position, and if I wanted to settle things by force then that was fine. I thought I'd scare it off if I hit with an Earthquake or a Poison Jab, but… You all see how that went. It beat the daylights out of me and burned the flyers, sayin' that was the last thing it needed to happen."

Astrid's beak fell open a bit. A bunch of eyes looked at her, some befuddled and some wide.

"Why would it want _her_?" said one voice.

"Sheesh, did that thing give her brain damage and _cause_ her amnesia? If it did all that to Nez for just trying to help her…"

"That's almost akin to Salem's antics there…"

A squeak of dismay came from the Rowlet's beak and she looked at the ground, wrapping her wings around herself as best she could and trying to disappear into her fluff. She certainly had some choice words for that creature, but doubted she'd be able to say them if it went after her again. She probably wouldn't be getting away a second time; perhaps she had just been lucky the first… A million thoughts circled her head, none of which she wanted to think about.

Kaminari noticed and swooped her up, turning the Rowlet towards her chest and shielding her away from everything around them with her hands. "You swear you don't know this creature, Astrid?" she softly inquired. "Does that jog your memory at all?"

"_No!_" she squeaked back. "If I was supposed to be on good terms with it, none of this would have happened! I don't know what it wants or what it's after; I don't even know _who_ or _what_ it is!"

Several more voices went around, all questioning the creature's motives. Astrid too almost wondered if it had been the cause of her mental state, but somehow she couldn't quite believe that either, as much as she didn't want to believe the explanation she'd already gotten.

A certain Vespiquen's voice piped up. "I shall tell Lucy to keep a watch while she's on her routes. She covers quite a lot of ground in a day; she'll notice if someone is out there that shouldn't be," Reina mused.

"I'm telling the sheriff's office to put out a notice," declared an Ambipom, "Charlie, no more playing in the forest alone."

"It better be prepared to lose a few limbs if it wanders within visibility," Kaminari too said, "It doesn't matter how hard it hits if I outspeed and evade all of its attacks, and that's something a ninja is good at."

Several more musings went around in the same vein, and Astrid couldn't help but be a bit timidly exasperated. Only two days, and it seemed trouble was following her, yet perhaps she _was_ there indirectly because of it if the gods had indeed sent her… But still she didn't like it. It was all so frightening… She still didn't know whose voice she'd heard in the forest, and almost wished she did just so she could ask it what had happened. Yet that certainly was not going to be an option.

In any case, the commotion died down with all the causes of the trouble being addressed. Astrid wanted to let it all blow over, let it all pass, but before she and anyone else in their little brigade trailed off again, she skittered over to Nez.

"Th-thanks for trying to help me… I'm s-sorry this happened to you…" she said shyly, barely able to look up at the Nidoking.

Nez, however, gave her a chortle and knelt down, softly patting her feathers. "This isn't your fault, lassie. You don't have to apologize for anything. Better me out there getting attacked than you."

She nodded gently, then wandered back to Arashi and his bunch.

"Forget what I said this morning about wandering too far, you two. If that thing's around and looking for Astrid, I don't want you any farther than the lake." Kaminari said sternly. "The Rhyperior was a one-off, I'm sure, but this isn't like that."

Both the ones she addressed nodded.

"I'm not even gonna _try_ against that one," Arashi mused uncertainly.

"Good," said his mother, "I don't worry about you often, but I am right now. Stay safe, _all_ of you."

The Greninja went about whatever business she had to attend to, and the five younger ones left looked at each other, several of them still taking it all in.

"Speaking of the lake… Astrid, we should go there," Arashi said, giving the Rowlet a look.

"H-huh?" Astrid replied, a bit uncertain herself.

"Yeah, why just you and Astrid?" Lila inquired, then getting a bit of a grin, "Are you up to something secretive?"

"Yup!" the Froakie replied, then back to Astrid, "Remember what we talked about last night?"

The uncertainty left- she did indeed remember.

"What, you're forming Team Useless Posers?" Trixie ragged on them.

"No, that can be _your_ team," Arashi shot back without a care, after which he started hopping. "C'mon!"

The Rowlet obliged, though she gave one look back before flapping off. "U-um, see you later, I g-guess…"

She too set off, flapping after her comrade.

The three left looked at each other, shrugged, and too went about their business… or lack thereof, seeing as they didn't have any.

Nonetheless, the lake seemed fine and peaceful, though Astrid couldn't help but glance about warily just to be sure. Tranquil Tunnel's opening was still there, but they weren't going near it, and if the wired creature was hiding in the trees, they had time to make a bolt back for town before it could get too close. She was still going to keep watch and be ready to run, but nothing to worry about immediately presented itself to them.

"This is about us being a team, right?" Astrid inquired.

"Yup!" Arashi replied, grinning. "Are you still down for it? I mean, did sleeping on it change your mind? Or the thing with Nez?"

Astrid thought for a second, carefully mulling things over, then shook her head and replied, "… I'm still on board. I need to find out what I'm here for and why that thing is after me, and sitting around isn't going to get me those answers," then, looking sideways at the ground a bit, "Besides, I… I can't stay as pathetic as I am forever, not with these circumstances… It scares me, but… I can't have other people like your folks and Nez fighting battles and solving problems for me… I gotta do it myself…"

She felt a hand on her wing again, and looked back up at Arashi, who was still grinning.

"Hey, we can do it together," the Froakie said warmly, "It's not every day a human turns up in the form of a Pokémon, and if there's some huge secret to you existing here, then I wanna find it with you! I mean, sheesh, if some crazy wired beast thinks you're special, then you gotta be, right?"

She wouldn't have worded it that way, but she got Arashi's gist and nodded, a slight happiness trickling into her countenance.

"We can both get strong together," Arashi said, taking his hand back from her wing, "And then once we are, maybe we can join the Expedition Coalition and show that beast that it can't just go around messing with other Pokémon! I just know we've got it in us!"

The Rowlet chuckled a bit. "You're a real positive thinker, y'know that?"

The Froakie laughed. "Of course! _Someone's_ gotta be!"

Astrid eased up. "Alright, alright; on the ridiculous chance I'm here to save the world, I wouldn't want to be alone for that task."

"So we need a name," Arashi declared, "You got ideas?"

She thought, then shrugged. "Just what constitutes a good team name? You're the native here; tell me what the norm is."

"Well, you have some teams like Team A.C.T. that just make an acronym from their names- Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar in their case," Arashi noted, looking up at the sky in thought, "And then you have some, like Team Charm, that name themselves for an attribute- being charming and literal treasure charms, in their case. Then you have other ones like the Expedition Society and Rush's Expedition Coalition, which take their names for what they do- going on expeditions, whatever those expeditions happen to be… But honestly, those are all kinda boring! I want ours to sound cooler!"

"Careful, don't talk bad about your idols," Astrid chuckled.

The Froakie gave her a playful nudge in response.

"So, something that sounds cool then," Astrid mused, "Hm, what sounds cool…"

While she was thinking, Arashi, however, lit up again. "I got it! Team Starstorm!"

She gave him a funny look. "Team Starstorm? Where'd you get that from?"

"Well, your name is Astrid, right? It sounds kinda like 'astra,' which means 'star,' and my name means 'storm,' so I just kinda shoved them together! Besides, once we're fully evolved, it fits even better! Stars are pretty, but you only see them in the dark, which is perfect for a Grass- and Ghost-type like Decidueye, and storms are dark and rainy, which is perfect for a Water- and Dark-type like I'll be!"

Astrid tilted her head to the side. "You came up with it, though," she mused, "So why not Team Stormstar? Why's mine up front?"

"Team Stormstar doesn't sound as cool," was the easy reply, "And you were in front while we were in the dungeon, so hey, there you go. But it's got both of us in it, so it works either way, right?"

She couldn't argue with that logic in any way that would make sense, she decided. "… Alright, that works."

"Lovely," the Froakie replied, "So to make us official, we'd have to fill out some forms and stuff we could get at the sheriff's office a little further north… but then Mom and Dad would find out, and honestly, I don't think now is a good time to tell them. You've only been here a little over a day and all, and Mom is saying not to wander too far since that not-a-Pokémon is out, so we should wait a little while before making it official."

Astrid nodded. "That's fine with me."

The Froakie was beaming and couldn't help but clap his hands a little in happiness before throwing them around Astrid. She was surprised, but didn't object and chuckled while returning the hug.

"Well, I'm glad you're so happy about all this," the Rowlet laughed.

"Oh, you've got no idea how happy I am, Astrid," was her response.

They let go, and shortly Arashi was hopping and Astrid was flying back into the town's perimeter.


	7. Chapter 7: Visionary

After the talk of team formation, Arashi simply couldn't stop smiling, and Astrid couldn't help but be slightly amused seeing as Team Starstorm was not even official yet. She couldn't help but admit that she did indeed like the name, even if it was just a bit on the flamboyant side and something she herself would never have come up with. The idea… maybe it wasn't so bad.

… _Maybe_. Minus the murderous intentions that had already manifested elsewhere.

Niles indeed did reappear shortly after dusk, and was quickly filled in on the events of the day by Kaminari, who then set off on her own mission after the two of them exchanged hugs again. The Inteleon tucked the two younger ones in, telling them goodnight and giving them both a gentle pat on the head before turning out the lantern, and both Astrid and Arashi were sound asleep before the Greninja returned home a few hours later.

However, even while the Rowlet was sound asleep…

_*Can… you…*_

The voice was faint, but it was there. Rather, she could _hear_ it, but… It was completely incorporeal. It was a dream, she could tell, but something about it felt… off, as if there was indeed some other side she couldn't see. All she _could_ see was a blindingly bright light and something that seemed to peer back, but what that something was, she couldn't tell.

*_Astrid…?_*

_*H-huh…?*_

Whatever it was, it was talking. Something about it was familiar, but as faint as the voice was, she couldn't quite place it. It was like talking to static.

_*It's fine… you… need you… Void…*_

She listened as carefully as possible, but still, she could barely make the words out.

_*I sent… not going to…*_

Fainter. Whatever it was trying to say, it wasn't getting through. However, she could certainly make out the next sound that came.

_*AGH-!*_

The blinding rays left, quickly replaced with the damp darkness of the cavern as Astrid's eyes shot open. There was no one there except for Arashi, who was fast asleep on his cushion. She glanced around anyway, but everything was completely undisturbed and utterly silent. She herself was still nestled into the basket, and the basket was still nestled into Arashi's shelf. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"A-Arashi…?" Astrid asked, voice barely audible.

No response; the Froakie wasn't stirring. It surely hadn't been his voice in that case, even though Astrid was sure she'd be able to tell if it _had_ been her comrade.

"H-hello…?"

Nothing.

"A-ah…"

She was back to sleep in a few minutes.

* * *

Nothing was amiss the next morning, either.

"How'd it go last night, Mom?" Arashi inquired after gulping down one last piece of fruit.

"Oh, I certainly had my fun," Kaminari replied, getting a bit of a smirk. "A Honchkrow was trying to run a thieving syndicate with his Murkrow underlings. They didn't even notice I was there until they got hit with a barrage of Water Shurikens, but I knocked the boss out before anyone could put up a fight, and they scattered fairly quickly afterwards. Sometimes I wonder how certain Pokémon rack up such a bounty…"

Niles got a bit of a grin at her words, and Arashi was certainly looking his excited self. Astrid only listened, gently wiping her beak off with her wing.

"I guess you can't tell us what you were up to, Dad?" Arashi inquired of his father next.

"Classified.~" was the quick and easy response.

The Froakie giggled, jumping down from the table with Astrid shortly following behind.

"By the way, Astrid, I sent off that letter yesterday," Kaminari noted, "I'm sure they'll remember you and write back soon, if you and Arashi did indeed leave such an impression."

Astrid nodded. "Th-thanks, Ms. Kaminari."

Arashi, on the other hand, started beaming again at the mention of his idols and their encounter, which Niles seemed to instantly take note of as well.

"That does _not_ mean you go throwing yourself into a dangerous situation again to get anyone's attention, Arashi," the Inteleon cautioned.

The Froakie was still beaming, "Oh, don't worry, Dad," he brushed the warning off. Then to Astrid, "Let's go see what everyone else is up to!"

Another nod came from the Rowlet, who went flapping alongside her comrade. Shortly they were slipping out through the blue curtain door.

The two left inside shared a glance.

"The next thing we'll be hearing is that they've formed a team," Kaminari remarked.

"After Arashi brought home a feral Geodude, I would not be surprised," Niles said haplessly.

In any case, the gentle lapping of the waves met Astrid and Arashi as they made their way along the beach and up the steps to town's edge, no strange Beast lying in wait for them anywhere… at least, that they could see. The cool breeze from the sea felt nice, and the sky overhead was a bit clouded but not dark.

Astrid, though, turned her head to Arashi. "Hey, Arashi?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't hear anything strange last night, did you…?"

He gave her an odd but intrigued look. "No, did you?"

"E-er… I _think_ I did…"

The Froakie stopped bouncing, and Astrid landed in the sand. It was an odd question, she knew, but she couldn't help asking it. Arashi studied her inquisitively.

"What do you mean you think so? What happened?" the Rowlet's comrade inquired.

Her feathers ruffled up a bit and she looked around sideways at the sand, not quite meeting her companion's gaze. "I think… someone's trying to… talk to me," she had difficulty putting the exact words together, "Like… When I woke up in the forest and that _thing_ confronted me, I could've sworn someone else had been trying to talk to me, but I'm not sure who and I'm honestly not sure _how_. And then, last night… well… It wasn't _you_, that's for sure…"

Arashi hopped a little closer, looking even more intrigued. "Hm? So did you have a weird dream or something? Maybe you were sleepwalking and Mom or Dad noticed, aha!"

She shook her head. "… I… don't think it was a dream."

Arashi tilted his head to the side. "Then what was it?"

"Some kind of communication, like from a Psychic-type or… something like that. I was staring into a light, this _insanely_ bright light, and someone else was there talking to me but I couldn't make the words out. The thing is, though, they… they knew my name. They called me Astrid."

The Froakie blinked, his eyes widening a little bit. "But you don't know who they were?"

"No. Not a clue. Whoever it was, they didn't have a good enough connection to tell me, I don't guess… But… I think they were in pain somehow, because they yelled and then the vision cut out before I could get any real information."

Arashi chuckled just a little bit and gave her a pat on the wing, still his bright and happy self. "Well, sheesh, even crazy beasts and vague visages like you," he remarked, getting a haplessly amused look in return, "You think we should tell Mom and Dad? You think it's got something to do with that creature or your amnesia?"

She shook her head. "N-no, I don't wanna bother your folks any more than I have already… I'm not near as worried about some strange vision as I am about getting fried by that _thing_…"

Her comrade nodded. "If you don't wanna tell them, you can tell me," he said gently, "We're a team now, y'know?"

She nodded, getting a bit of a happy look. "Y-yeah…"

Another giggle from the Froakie, and they were setting off again down the sand and up the stone steps.

"Oi, you two! Mornin'!" came a call from Nez.

The Nidoking was out and about, watering some flowers in his cottage window with one hand and giving them a cheerful wave with the other.

"Morning, Nez!" Arashi called back, giving a wave in return.

"Hi!" Astrid chirped, not nearly as shy towards the Nidoking as she had been previously.

The burn marks on his hide were gone, which Astrid was greatly relieved to see. If she hadn't been there yesterday, she wouldn't have believed he had been hurt in the first place. She suspected it was likely the doing of several Oran berries, as completely busted up as he had been before, but whatever the case was, she was not going to question it- the fact that he was unharmed was good enough.

They shortly found Lila stretched out on the grass in front of her house, a newspaper between her front paws and her smallish Eevee sibling curled at her side looking down at it too.

"Sister, what does all that say…?" Veeko inquired, eyes travelling about the page.

"Hey, I'll tell you about it in a second," Lila said back.

The Jolteon looked up upon noticing Astrid and Arashi, the latter of whom gave her a wave too.

"Hey, guys," Lila greeted.

"Hi, Lila!" Arashi happily said back, bouncing over to her side and likewise looking down at the paper. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, not much, just that the continent's most wanted Fennekin or Braixen or Delphox had yet another run-in with a rescue squad and wiped the floor with them," was the answer, Lila appearing unfazed by the news.

"Salem?" Arashi inquired nonchalantly.

"Who else?" Lila chuckled in response.

Astrid sheepishly shuffled around to Lila's side as well and peered over the newspaper, where apparently Arashi and Lila were fixated on one page with the headline "Salem Appears at Tanglewood Glen, Defeats Team Aeroslash" over a picture of a fainted Braviary and Bisharp with a Blissey hastily tending their wounds. Clearly, some heavy fire damage had been dealt, for the Bisharp's blades were all but a molten puddle and the Braviary's plumage was blackened and entirely burnt off in large portions with charred skin underneath. It made her go wide-eyed just a bit, and Arashi too seemed rather stunned.

"Oh, sheesh! Team Aeroslash?!" the Froakie cried, "Maaaaan, they had a pretty high rank last I heard!"

"Well, Salem has tangled with higher ranks before," Lila mused with a shrug.

Astrid, though, scanned the entire column for the details.

"After a week spent in critical condition, the leaders of Team Aeroslash have finally awakened to shed light on the incident that happened during a rescue mission to Cliffside Creek. Valen the Braviary and Zandra the Bisharp were blindsided by a sudden attack on their way to the dungeon that lies deeper into the cliffs, the culprit of which was later deduced to be the criminal Salem. She doused the terrain in flames and attacked without provocation, unleashing Flamethrower after Flamethrower which were reported to be of an odd purple color uncharacteristic of the Fennekin line and also to cause heavy disorientation. As visibility was limited due to the flames, the team could not gain good sight of her for counteracting purposes, but were able to report that her silhouette was not that of a Fennekin, confirming suspicions that she had since evolved. All team members involved in the altercation were badly poisoned, including Zandra who is a Steel-type and normally immune to such, and on the brink of death for days afterwards even with the help of a resident cleric Blissey and the use of Reviver Seeds, among others. Until today, while conscious, those involved in the altercation were only able to stare blankly off into the distance or attempt to mindlessly swing at those nearby, a state which was previously thought to have been induced by the shock of the attack but was later reported by the team members to have been a complete blank in memory since Salem's attack initially began. Those with mind-reading capabilities have thus far been unable to facilitate their recollection of the altercation. Salem's whereabouts and motives remain unknown for the time being, and travelling teams are urged to keep their guard up."

"A-Arceus above…" Astrid's voice trailed off. "That's _normal_ for her?"

"Below average, really," Lila replied, "She got mixed up with a Swampert and Blastoise several months back and _still_ managed to mess them up- as in, they found the Blastoise with a giant hole burnt through her shell."

Veeko started shivering next to Lila and squirmed his way under her chin, his ears down and tail tucked between his legs. "S-scary…"

Arashi giggled. "Oh, don't worry, Veeko," he assuaged the little one, "If she shows up, she'll probably have to mess with that wire creature first; just let _them_ duke it out and we'll never get involved, aha!"

Somehow, Astrid figured, that _still_ was not a good idea in the slightest. One crazy monster was pushing it already; two in the same place was just a cataclysm waiting to happen.

In any case, Lila rolled up the paper with one paw and stood up, carefully taking it in her mouth and depositing it back on her doorstep. Veeko sat down with his tail wrapped around his body, perhaps the most innocuous creature Astrid had ever laid eyes on.

"Say, where are Charlie and Trixie?" Arashi inquired of the Jolteon.

"At the lake. Trixie got the idea to send off a message in a bottle, and she dragged Charlie off with her saying something about how his tail-hand can throw things farther into the water than she could," Lila replied.

Arashi's face lit up. "Ooh! Let's go see what she wrote!"

The Froakie was bouncing off again with an excited grin plastered on his face before anyone could even suggest otherwise, leaving both Astrid and Lila in the dust. The Jolteon and Rowlet looked at each other, and Lila shrugged again.

"C'mon, Veeko," Lila said, lying down again and allowing the Eevee to crawl onto her back and situate himself in the white fur around her neck.

Arashi was already way ahead of them, but Astrid wasn't going to bother flying to catch up. Lila sure wasn't in any hurry, or so it seemed, as she trotted along leisurely. The Rowlet still had to skitter along faster than normal to keep up with her longer strides, though- and she guessed that same principle was why Veeko was on Lila's back as opposed to on the ground, for even next to Astrid's own form, the Eevee still was rather small. He couldn't have been very old, she deduced.

"So, Astrid, if you don't mind me asking," said the Jolteon, "You really don't remember _anything _about your former life? Just that your name is Astrid?"

The Rowlet thought for a second, slightly caught off guard by the question. Maybe it would be a lie by omission, but seeing as Niles and Kaminari were intent on keeping her secret under wraps and not even the ever-excited Arashi had mentioned it to anyone else, she merely replied, "Y-yeah, that about sums it up… I was k-kinda confused about how to use my body too, which I guess is _also_ kinda important information to go forgetting…"

Veeko's tiny voice piped up again. "That's scary…"

"It kinda is, Veeko," Astrid acknowledged.

Lila, on the other hand, chortled just a bit, still looking upbeat. "Maybe there was nothing there worth remembering, then," she mused nonchalantly, "I guess Niles and Kaminari are treating you well?"

Astrid nodded, looking more at the ground than at anything else. "Y-yeah, they're r-really nice," she concurred, "I'm not gonna lie, I like them a lot…"

"Good," said the Jolteon, then chuckling a bit, "Heh, I'd probably get a little freaked out having a ninja as my mom and a secret agent as my dad, given that you would _never_ be able to get away with anything, but it seems to have its perks in your case."

"A-ah, I guess it does… I'm just glad I'm not stuck here alone…"

Lila grinned, shooting her a glance. "Yeah, you are _definitely_ not the 'alone' type."

The Rowlet would've blushed slightly if her cheeks hadn't been covered in feathers that masked it. She fluffed out a bit, but relaxed when the Jolteon gave another chortle.

In any case, they could see Trixie, Charlie, and Arashi at the lake's edge, the Croagunk looking cheeky and the Aipom looking slightly flustered while Arashi laughed. There was indeed a bottle, but there was no message inside it- the message was in Charlie's hands, and he seemed to be giving the Croagunk a disbelieving look because of it.

Astrid flapped over, wanting to see what the deal was, and Lila shortly joined the circle along with Veeko.

"You guys, tell Trixie that this is a stupid idea! I am _not_ throwing this!" the Aipom protested.

"It's _great!_ C'mon, Charlie, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Arashi protested.

Trixie only chuckled slyly, holding one hand to her mouth with a shifty look on her face. Astrid and Lila didn't have to wonder what it said for long, since Charlie immediately held it out for them to read.

"Sister, what does it say?" Veeko inquired, peeking over Lila's head and flattening her ears just a bit in the process.

Astrid quickly got an unamused look at the words on the page.

"'If you're reading this, I hope you have a rotten day and you should go hug a cactus, you brainless buffoon,'" Lila read to the Eevee, then to the Croagunk, "Seriously, Trixie? Could you _be_ any more immature?"

"Oho, I could've been _much_ more immature~" Trixie said to the contrary. "I could've laced it with curse words or drawn them a nice cartoon of a Bewear breaking a Pachirisu's neck~"

Veeko seemed to be puzzled as to why anyone would write such a message and willingly send it- but he also got a funny look at the word 'buffoon,' which Astrid guessed was due to him not understanding it. Charlie, on the other hand, let out an audible groan, while Lila rolled her eyes.

"Hey, if I picked up a bottle that said that, I'd be grinning!" Arashi protested.

"You're _always_ grinning, Arashi," Charlie said flatly, then to their Croagunk companion, "Trixie, you are _terrible_."

The Croagunk's eyes began to sparkle and she clasped her hands together, looking absolutely elated. "Oh, _thank you_, Charlie~! That's the nicest thing I've heard all day~"

The palm of the Aipom's free hand shortly became very well acquainted with his face, an utterly hopeless look taking over his countenance. Lila only shook her head at Trixie's antics.

"Astrid, what do _you_ think~?" Trixie chirped, still looking shifty but happy, "Do _you_ appreciate my masterpiece~?"

Astrid found herself ruffling up a bit again at the inquiry. "W-well, it's nothing _I_ would send out…"

"Fine by me!" the Croagunk seemed to take that a passive affirmation, quickly snatching the paper back from Charlie and shoving it into the bottle, which she held out towards Arashi. "Arashi, you can swim! You go take this thing out there!"

"But there's _Gyarados_ out there! What if he gets swallowed?!" Charlie again was protesting.

"A Gyarados is not going to come this close to shore, Charlie, and I'm not afraid of Magikarp!" Arashi shot the thought down.

Without wasting a second, the Froakie snatched the bottle up under one arm and bounced out into the water, shortly disappearing underneath it for a few seconds before the bottle floated up further off the shore and he returned, leaving a trail of bubbles in the lake.

Charlie and Lila both shook their heads at the happenings before them, but said nothing. Astrid was absolutely silent, not quite sure what to make of it, either.

Though still, she had to admit that, even for the shifty-eyed and mischievous Croagunk… she liked them too. Maybe they weren't part of Team Starstorm, but they would do just fine regardless.


	8. Chapter 8: Team Starstorm

"S-so how far away are we going…?" Astrid inquired with a hint of uncertainty.

"It's only about a mile and the path is wide-open, so we should be fine!" Arashi replied.

Another day gone, another day without any Beast showing up where it wasn't wanted. The Rowlet and the Froakie made their way past the town boundary and up the sandy path, far enough to where town had just started to look smaller but not too far away nonetheless. The Magikarp were jumping about in the sea, not a care in the world- and the same seemed true of Astrid's comrade. She kept watch for anything out of the ordinary, but there didn't seem to be anything warranting attention.

"Your folks aren't gonna get suspicious…?" inquired the Rowlet.

"I doubt it," came the easy answer.

That sufficed, and she let it go. However, as they were strolling along…

"HEY!" came a call from further back, from a certain Jolteon. "Where do you two think you're running off to?!"

Astrid flinched a little at the sudden yell, instinctively thinking it was one of panic or displeasure, but Arashi was beaming still. They both turned around and looked back to the town boundary, where Lila, Charlie, and Trixie strolled in their direction. The Froakie gave a playful wave.

"Hi, guys!" Arashi called, "You can come too! We're going to the sheriff's office!"

Shortly, there were five figures gathered on the sandy path, the other three darting over to them rather fast.

"The sheriff's office? What're you going there for?" Charlie inquired.

"You're turning yourself in for an illegal fight club?" Trixie asked, getting her usual cheeky look. "Or you finally decided Team Useless Posers was your true calling?"

Charlie's tail-hand gave the Croagunk a slap upside the back of her head, to which she let out an unhappy cry before shortly breaking into an even bigger (and shifty) grin. In any case, she shut up with her remarks, and everyone else disregarded them.

"Well, we _are_ going there on team business," Arashi acknowledged, "You see, me and Astrid made an unofficial one the day Nez got attacked, but we're making it official today! Ahhh, I'm so excited!"

It was clear the Froakie was excited, for the next moment, he clapped both his hands together playfully and gave a little hop of cheer, clearly bubbling with enthusiasm. Astrid grinned haplessly, while the other three present got surprised looks on their faces of varying degrees- Lila not particularly fazed, Charlie a bit caught off guard, and Trixie with a gaping mouth.

"Really? I mean, I knew this is what you wanted to do, Arashi, but… That seems a little sudden," Charlie's voice trailed off.

"_You_ two?!" Trixie chimed in, blinking several times in rapid succession and her gaze shifting between Astrid and Arashi, then stalking around to the Rowlet's side, "Girl, that is _surprising!_ Don't get me wrong, but you don't really seem like the _type!_"

"W-well, yes, but I have reasons," Astrid quickly but softly affirmed.

The Jolteon tilted her head to the side, studying the Froakie. "I had a feeling you'd go make a team one of these days, but sheesh, I figured you'd at least mention it a little in passing before actually _doing_ it… and that you'd probably pester _us_ about it- not that I'm talking bad about you, Astrid," she mused, giving the Rowlet a little glance at the end.

"I didn't think you were; I understand," Astrid affirmed.

Arashi, though, was still grinning and let out a giggle. "It's not like you guys can't come with us or anything, it's just that we named the team after us two," he explained, "I mean, once you almost get killed together and fight hordes of baby dragons and unfriendly rock monsters, there's kinda no going back, y'know? Besides, she's _good_ at it! I would've gotten absolutely thrashed without her!"

Astrid's feathers ruffled up a bit. "H-hey, now, that was purely because I didn't wanna die, and I would've been screwed without your Bubbles, too…"

Arashi let out a laugh, throwing one arm around her wings and beaming. "See? Our synergy is just perfect!"

'Perfect,' she would not have said- but it _was_ pretty good, she had to admit.

Charlie, though, studied the Rowlet next. "So, if you have reasons, what are they? We all know what Arashi's are, but I'm kinda with Trixie here on you not seeming like the adventuring type."

Her feathers stayed a little ruffled and her feet skittered in place a little, but still, she replied, "W-well, I really just want answers. Like why I'm here, what that _thing_ wants with me, and… this just seems the most obvious path to take."

"Heck, if that creature hears she's a team co-captain, it might decide to back off," Lila added to concur.

Astrid hadn't thought of that perk, but she quickly decided that she liked it in addition to the other ones.

"You gotta have a team name, then," Trixie pressed, "What'd ya pick~?"

"Team Starstorm!" Arashi happily replied.

And at that, the Croagunk burst into laughter, making the Froakie frown and Astrid tilt her head to the side in uncertainty. Charlie's tail-hand gave her another nudge, but she only doubled over while clutching at her sides. Lila gave her an amused side-eye, but otherwise paid her no mind.

"What's so funny?!" Arashi demanded. "Sheesh, Trixie! You didn't seriously think we were gonna use _your_ suggestion, did you?"

"Nah, but mine would've been better than _Team Starstorm!_" the Croagunk asserted to the contrary, rolling on the ground, "That sounds like the name of a roving glam metal music act, not an expedition squad! Ahaha, you are trying _way_ too hard to sound cool!"

The Rowlet only studied Trixie, still with her head tilted to the side, while her comrade spit a few playful bubbles at the Croagunk which were harmlessly popped. Trixie calmed down fairly quickly, but still couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself.

"Well, _I_ think it sounds cool, despite what _some_ miscreants may say," Lila noted to the contrary, getting a shifty grin from Trixie at the remark.

"I'm gonna guess Arashi came up with that one, because it definitely has his flair to it," Charlie mused.

"Sure did!" the Froakie affirmed.

"But I like it too- it's got a nice sound," added Astrid.

Arashi gave another giggle of glee, hardly able to contain his excitement. "C'mon, guys! Me and Astrid gotta fill out the papers, and there's nothing wrong with moral support while going on a somewhat-long walk!"

Lila, Charlie, and Trixie quickly decided that they had nothing better to do, and once again they set off along the path, the Croagunk still giggling to herself occasionally and getting either a nudge from Charlie or a spark from Lila.

"Say, is Veeko staying inside today?" Arashi inquired, glancing back at the Jolteon.

"No, he's out playing with Rina," Lila answered.

"Rina…?" Astrid inquired.

"Toko and Ace's kid- that tiny Pikipek that can't fly yet," Charlie replied, "You know Toko the Toucannon and Ace the Staraptor, right?"

Astrid nodded, recounting how she'd figured out how to preen because of them. She guessed that Veeko and the Pikipek in question were around the same age in that case- very young, seeing as the Eevee clearly couldn't read yet nor could the Pikipek in question fly whereas the Rowlet herself had no trouble with taking flight in spite of her formerly human state.

Once the town started to seem rather small in the distance, the eastern-leading path from the town's boundary had an offshoot going north, which they took. Astrid took note of it in cast she would ever be out venturing again, and also took note that the eastern sandy path itself seemed to fade into dirt and then into nothingness in more trees on the horizon, while the northern offshoot faded into what looked like a hilly meadow with rocky cliffs to either side.

"Hey, Astrid, now might be a good time to tell you that if you keep going after you hit the sheriff's office, you'll wind up in feral territory," Arashi noted to the Rowlet.

She nodded, mentally cataloguing that as well. "_That's_ good to know… What kinds of Pokémon are out there?"

"Mostly Rock- or Ground-types like Golem, Onix, Lairon, and the occasional Larvitar," her comrade answered.

"But you can fly, so that's not a huge deal to you if you stay out of their range," Lila noted. "The rest of us, though, might have some things to worry about, and _I_ certainly don't want to take an angry Golem's Earthquake if I accidentally step on it."

Another nod.

"If you keep going east, you'll reach Craggy Crossroads," Charlie added, "It's a pretty big hub for expeditioners. But the forest turns into a dungeon partway through, so the general way is to go around it."

"And the Crossroads is where Arashi's idols have their base," Trixie added with a smirk, the Froakie getting bright-eyed at the very mention.

"That is _also_ good to know…" Astrid catalogued it as well.

The terrain had a few sparse trees dotting it and mostly grass covering the path they took, not too difficult to traverse in comparison to the steep cliff sides that loomed overhead not too far away. A few patches of bare ground intertwined with the green, and the ground sloped and rose up a bit here and there. Astrid kept looking about intermittently, half-expecting to see a certain wired creature staring down at her from one of the rocky faces but never coming across it. In any case, whether they stood a chance against it or not (and she assumed they did not), having five of them together made her feel more at ease.

It didn't take all that long to come across another stone building at the top of one hill, which Astrid guessed was their destination- and was shortly proven right when Arashi made a beeline for the for the opening of its door. She had to take to flapping to keep up, while their other three companions strolled in shortly after with no hurry.

In the front room, a Luxray was curled up in front of a desk with a small plaque reading "Deputy Rucio" resting on it and perked up at seeing them enter, while two heads on a Dodrio seemed to be having a fuss at a rather frightened-looking Sableye in the back room- what the fuss was about, they could only imagine. There was a bulletin board on one wall with plenty of names and pictures on it along with what looked to be some newspaper clippings, and on the wall behind the front desk were several mounted folders with stacks of papers in them. Astrid couldn't help but notice the over-the-top wanted poster of Salem mixed in among the ones on the bulletin board, as it was clearly the most extravagant of the lot by far.

"Afternoon," greeted the Gleam Eyes Pokemon, "Can I help you?"

"Me and my friend are forming an expedition team; we can fill out the papers for that here, right?" Arashi answered, motioning at himself and the Rowlet.

"Sure thing," was the response.

The Luxray got up and strolled around to the folders, standing up on his hind legs to retrieve a few of them with his teeth before setting them down before Astrid and Arashi.

"Just fill these out and sign them at the end, and I'll get Sheriff Zaara to look them over and send out your starter kit next chance she gets. As you can see, she's… a little busy right now," noted the deputy, giving the Dodrio still telling off the Sableye a glance.

"Oho? Did someone act stupid?" Trixie chirped with her shifty grin, glancing at the two in the back room.

The Luxray got a bit of a hapless, yet borderline amused look. "Someone sure did. I get that a lot of Sableye have a quirk for collecting jewels, but when that quirk leads to you inadvertently abducting a Carbink…"

The Croagunk that posed the question started giggling again with wide eyes, while several befuddled looks went around the others at the mention of an 'inadvertent' abduction.

"How do you _accidentally_ abduct someone…?" Charlie inquired.

"I have no idea," the Luxray replied, shaking his head.

In any case, Astrid and Arashi both set to their business, their other three tagalongs giving the forms a good look as well in interest at their dealings. Several of the pages were purely text, which the Froakie didn't seem intent on reading but Astrid scoured every word (which Trixie chuckled at and remarked that "No one _actually_ reads the terms and conditions"). Most of it was along the lines of 'your status can be revoked if you engage in criminal activity' and 'you swear you will not use your status to commit nefarious deeds' that indeed could have been written off as common sense, but the Rowlet certainly wasn't letting anything go without her notice. All of this information was new information in her mind, and she wanted her bases covered.

Trixie started giggling again when Arashi wrote "Team Starstorm" for their team's name, but was quickly shut up by both Charlie and Lila. Both Astrid and her comrade listed themselves as the current members and signed the papers in the several sections it delineated, then handed them back off to the deputy (seeing as the Sableye had since been reduced to tears and clung haplessly to the Dodrio's leg while presumably begging for forgiveness and swearing it would change its ways, or so things appeared).

With that finished, they set off again.

"I sure hope that Sableye gets some help for their gem-stealing problem," Lila chuckled once they were out of earshot.

"Just what was the plan there, I wonder~?" Trixie mused, getting a grin, "To rip the crystals off of the Carbink's body~?"

Arashi's usual grin turned a bit uncertain at the mention. "When you put it _that_ way… Agh, I bet that would hurt!"

The rest of them weren't inclined to disagree that indeed, getting chunks ripped out of one's form would be rather unpleasant.

The little trek back to town wasn't any big deal, for no crazies or Beasts accosted them and the Magikarp were still happily jumping about in the water. However, one thing _did_ catch their eye, or rather Astrid's and Arashi's: Niles and Kaminari having a conversation with a certain Rhyperior they recognized quite well from their less-than-pleasant encounter. The two of them almost stalled for a second, while their three tagalongs got an inquiring look.

"Say, isn't that…?" Lila's voice trailed off.

"That dude that started a giant commotion?" Trixie finished the thought.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, then at the Rhyperior, then back at each other, not saying a word.

"I'm gonna take their reactions to mean yes," Trixie mused, giving the Froakie and Rowlet a glance.

There didn't seem to be any hostility, yet still, they couldn't help being uncertain. Whatever craziness had taken root in the Rhyperior had definitely worn off if Rush and Rozen knew what they were talking about, but the last words received from the Rhyperior having basically been death threats didn't bode particularly well either. They weren't quite sure what to make of it.

Niles, though, seemed to notice the younger ones first and called over. "Arashi, Astrid, will you two come here for a moment?"

The two of them gave their friends a glance and did so, the Rhyperior and Kaminari still carrying on, though the Drill Pokémon turned his attention to them once they got close, almost looking shy and frightened (for a gigantic, rock-skinned creature). Astrid couldn't help but observe his eyes and notice that they were no longer damaged from her attack, which was somewhat relieving to see. In one of his hands was a little sack, which she guessed was simply for errand-running or the like.

"Oh, thank the gods you two are okay," their former assailant sounded relieved, almost as though he might cry, "I am _so_ sorry for what happened!"

Astrid had no idea what to say, and Arashi was looking somewhat awkward himself.

"You recognize this fellow, don't you?" Niles nonchalantly asked them.

"Yeah, if you're the same guy we faced in the dungeon," Arashi answered, managing a smile but seeming slightly hesitant.

"He came into town asking about you two and if you were alright," Kaminari noted, then to the rocky creature, "And you've regained your senses just fine, you say? You woke up confused about what had happened and don't remember much?"

The Rhyperior nodded. "It's like I was possessed! I'm not usually like that, I swear, but I've just got no idea what came over me!"

"The good thing is that no one was seriously hurt and you're back in control of yourself," Niles tried to calm down the fretting creature, gently touching one of the cannon-like arms.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, still unsure of what to make of it all.

"I'm glad the two little ones here gave me the fight they did; getting my eyes messed up and getting knocked out was probably the best thing that happened all day," the Rhyperior mused, looking down at the Froakie and Rowlet.

"Well, you got us noticed by my idols, so I count that as a good day too," Arashi mused, breaking into a hapless grin.

The Drill Pokémon chuckled a bit, turning to them and opening his sack up. "Well, if you two ever wind up in a situation like that again, or if you really are adventurous like I've heard from the townsfolk, this should help you."

He set the sack down before them and Arashi was quick to look inside it, Astrid too getting a bit curious. Inside was a blue orb with what looked like two downward-facing arrows on it, a red and orange seed with a coat that seemed to split into many jagged layers, and a golden-colored seed with a small shoot sprouting from one end- a Slow Orb, Blast Seed, and Reviver Seed. The Rowlet wasn't quite sure what the items were, but Arashi seemed to know, for his face lit up at the sight of them.

"_Arceus above!_" the Froakie exclaimed, "That's so nice! Astrid, this is great for exploration!"

She brightened up a bit, tilting her head to the side. "R-really…?"

"Yeah! I guess I'll have to tell you about orbs and seeds later though, aha!"

That was fine enough in her book, and she got a contented look as well.

The Rhyperior seemed relieved at their reactions. "I really am sorry, you two. I hope you can forgive me."

Arashi chuckled. "Hey, if you weren't in control of yourself, it's not your fault! Besides, I can tell you must be really cool when you're not crazy!"

"I-it's alright; we're all fine here…" Astrid's voice awkwardly trailed off.

The Drill Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief. "And hopefully, if I wind up here again, it won't be because I'm on a rampage."

"It's been happening more often in recent times, so perhaps it just couldn't be helped," Niles mused nonchalantly.

"We were just the unlucky ones this time," said Kaminari.

The giant rocky creature nodded, and shortly he was on his way back to his own town. However, both Niles and Kaminari looked at each other when he was out of earshot.

"Do you think this is connected with Salem?" inquired the Greninja.

"Absolutely," the Inteleon replied without missing a beat.

That certainly caught the attention of Astrid and Arashi, both of whom perked up.

Niles, though, appeared to be in deep thought. "It's been a strong suspicion up until now that she's been behind the incidents of other Pokémon going mad as well, but after Team Aeroslash began taking swings at their healers, it's certainly not far-fetched. Why she _does_ this, and why her attributes are so out of accordance with the norm of her evolutionary line is another matter."

"So we might've gotten attacked by a crazy Rhyperior because _Salem_ made him do it?" Arashi piped up, still looking intrigued but uncertain all the same.

"It's possible," Niles affirmed, "Add in that wire creature, and heavens, this makes for a mess that can't be solved without more information."

The Froakie and Rowlet looked at each other again, Astrid's eyes going slightly wide.

"Don't worry too much yet," Kaminari said, looking at Astrid, "We'll get to the bottom of this, you can be sure."

She nodded.

Both Astrid and her comrade returned to their friends soon after, Arashi happily putting their bag of items over one shoulder (what with Astrid not having hands with which to grip it). They hadn't moved an inch and eyed them with intrigue, Trixie with her usual shifty smile.

"What was _that _about?" asked Charlie.

"Oh, he was just saying sorry for attacking us," Arashi answered, "And he gave us these items, too! Hah, is it strange to say I'm glad he tried to kill us?"

"Yes," Astrid piped up.

Charlie rolled his eyes at the Froakie's question, though still got a grin at it. Arashi only giggled in response, and Astrid brushed it off.

"Show us what you got, then!" Lila exclaimed. "You're expeditioners now; show us your loot!"

Arashi did so, showing them the orb and seeds and them likewise getting excited looks.

The Froakie, though, set to explaining their uses to his teammate. "Alright, so this thing here is an orb," he clarified to Astrid about the blue sphere, "In particular, a Slow Orb. You use it in a dungeon, and all the enemies around will look like they're moving in slow-motion, so it's pretty great!"

Astrid nodded. "Sounds useful…"

"And these seeds here," Arashi continued, motioning at the seeds, "The red one is a Blast Seed. You can throw it, and it explodes, or you can _eat_ it, and you _breathe_ the explosion for greater damage at close-range! You just have to be careful not to knock your friends out with it on accident, but if you _do_, this golden one here is a Reviver Seed! So if you get KO'd, this thing will activate, and you'll be good as new. But, I have no idea if it'll work on things like getting your head lopped off or something like that, so don't get _too_ crazy, aha!"

Again she was nodding, albeit with a slightly befuddled look at the insinuation of doing something as ridiculous as intentionally getting maimed.

It was the Croagunk's turn to start beaming. "Hah, so you can ruin someone's day with the Blast Seed and then cheat your way out of a KO with the Reviver Seed! That's great!" Trixie cried, "Just imagine all the Pokémon you could piss off!"

"You are the _only_ one that would think that way, Trixie," Lila brushed her off.

Nonetheless, they were abuzz with glee, chattering about how they might use them and what their first expedition would be… at least until Veeko wandered into sight alone and looking frightened. The little Eevee had his head down with drooping eyes that darted about uncertainly, his tail somewhat wrapped around his body as if trying to give himself a hug. Lila was the first notice him, striding towards him just a bit and calling his name, to which he jumped a bit in fright and ran towards her.

"Lila!" he cried pitifully, ducking underneath her chest.

The others couldn't help but notice his worry.

"What's wrong, little guy?" Trixie inquired.

"Where's your friend?" asked Arashi.

The Eevee whimpered, practically cowering under his sister's fur. "She's lost! We did something stupid, and now I'm scared!" he blurted out, avoiding their gazes.

Lila backed up a bit and gently stroked Veeko with one paw. "What do you mean, she's lost? What did you do?" the Jolteon asked.

The little one buried his face in his paws and started crying. "W-we were playing hide and seek, a-and we went into the forest on the west side, and-!"

"_Veeko!_" his sister interrupted, a clearly chiding look on her face, "You _know_ you're not supposed to be out there!"

"I know, I know, it was dumb!" Veeko haplessly agreed, still with his face buried, "B-but, y-you know how it turns into a dungeon when you go too far?"

… They knew where this was going, and Lila started looking even less amused than before.

"Y-you know, Brushwood Tangle…?" the Eevee continued, "W-we didn't even notice we'd gone in until we hit the stairs! Rina, she… e-er, she… We lost each other! We ran into a Tangela, and I don't know if she made it out or not!"

He started bawling into the ground, his paws going over his ears and draping them over his face like a hood. Lila shook her head, while Arashi hopped to Veeko's side and gently patted the back of his head.

"L-Lila, you've been in a dungeon before; can you help me…?!" Veeko pitifully begged, "I don't want Mom and Dad getting mad at me, and I don't want anything to happen to Rina! It was dumb of us to go into the forest, but we didn't mean to get lost in a dungeon…!"

The Jolteon was still unamused, but she started to ease up.

Astrid, though, was the first one to say anything. "How many floors is Brushwood Tangle?"

"Seven," Charlie answered.

The Rowlet and Froakie looked at each other, and Lila in turn looked at the both of them.

"Alright, is the newly formed Team Starstorm gonna come with me to rescue my little brother's friend?" the Jolteon inquired.

"Of course we are!" Arashi exclaimed.

"We can't just leave her there alone," Astrid concurred.

Veeko started to peek up a bit from under his ear-veil, the sobs slowing to sniffles.

"Hey! If you three are going, so am I!" Trixie declared, crossing her arms. "I ain't Astonished or Poison Stung anything in a looooong time, and a dungeon crawl sounds like the _perfect_ way to do it!"

"I'm not getting left out, either!" Charlie was in agreement, "I guess now is a good time as any to figure out just how useful this tail-hand can be!"

The Eevee looked up at all of them, sniffling but looking relieved, but Lila still gave him a pointed look.

"You're coming too, Veeko," Lila declared, getting a surprised look from her little brother, "You'd better pay attention to the rest of us in case you ever wind up in a dungeon alone again, because no little sibling of mine is gonna be completely helpless if a few ferals show up anywhere."

Veeko quickly nodded. "J-just promise you won't tell on me."

"I promise," Lila affirmed.

The Jolteon held one paw out, and the Eevee bumped it with one his much smaller ones before they took them back again.

Astrid, however, had another thought. "H-hey, um…" he voice trailed off uncertainly.

The attention of the others was upon her.

"C-can we not use those items we just got unless that _thing_ shows up…?" she inquired, looking more to her comrade with the sack than anyone else, "It's still out there… I-if it comes at us, we should be at least somewhat prepared…"

"That's a good idea," Arashi wasn't dissenting.

"Fine by me," Lila agreed.

Trixie shrugged in indifference and Charlie's tail-hand gave a thumbs-up (or at least, as close as the Aipom could get).

"Let's go," the Froakie declared, turning to go down the sandy path to the opposite side of town.

Lila knelt down to let Veeko sit on her back, and shortly, the six of them were setting off.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: I started writing this story when Rescue Team DX was announced, and before the game released, I had just assumed that orbs and seeds looked the same in the Mystery Dungeon universe. Needless to say, I am glad I saw that no, that was not the case, before I got too far in. XD_


	9. Chapter 9: Tangled Up

"How many floors in did you go before you got separated?" Lila inquired of the Eevee on her back. "And how were you faring against the wild ones?"

"Four, and… not good," Veeko meekly answered, looking down at the ground with his ears flattened against his head. "W-we were just running away from everything, because we got hit by a Carnivine's Vine Whip on the first floor, and it almost knocked us both out… D-do I _have _to battle these things…?"

The Eevee looked like he was shirking away from some invisible foe as he answered. Even Astrid thought he looked shy and timid.

"_Yes!_" was the quick answer from his sister, "Veeko, you know I'd _never_ just leave you alone, but you need to know these things in case it ever happens again! I'd say the same to Rina, but clearly, she's not here and she's not my little sibling, either."

Veeko nodded, still not seeming too thrilled.

"What can we expect to see there?" Astrid inquired, her head swiveling around to look at her company. "You've mentioned Tangela and Carnivine, so is it mostly Grass-types?"

"Mostly," Lila responded, then shooting the Froakie a cheeky look, "So don't go trying to explore the mouth of a feral Victreebel, Arashi!"

Trixie grinned, but Charlie nudged her into silent snickering before she could make any offhanded remark.

Arashi, though, got a funny look. "And why would I do _that?!_"

"Same reason you brought home a feral Geodude!" the Jolteon shot back, grinning.

The Froakie looked as if debating whether or not to throw the Blast Seed at her right there, but he only shot off a few bubbles at Lila's face which she shook off rather easily.

Astrid didn't pay them any mind, only thinking of how best to approach whatever foes awaited them. Grass-types probably wouldn't pose much threat to her or Trixie, she figured, but she also couldn't help but be a bit cautious for Arashi and Veeko- the latter because of his naivety and the former because of his typing. She had no idea what Charlie was capable of but figured he would come in handy somewhere nonetheless, and she certainly couldn't deny that Lila seemed to have the most know-how of any of them.

Nez gave them a happy wave as they strode past his cottage, which all but the Eevee and Jolteon returned (on account of them not having hands with which to wave). Astrid momentarily considered that asking the Nidoking for help would've been a much better idea, then quickly decided that… no, she wouldn't go hiding behind someone again and the others in her company would likely shoot it down as well. If this was how the world she'd landed in was structured… then she'd just have to get used to it.

In any case, she was certainly keeping her guard up as they approached the trees and disappeared inside them to any onlookers there may have been. It was familiar, the shrubbery growing close together and trees blocking out the sun overhead, just as it had been when she'd seen the Beast.

She certainly hoped she wouldn't see it _again_.

"So if you go straight north from here about a hundred meters, you can see our house down below," Arashi cheerfully noted to the Rowlet.

"But if you keep going farther westward, you'll notice the trees starting to get a lot thicker, which will tell you that you're about to enter the dungeon," said Charlie.

She nodded, making note of what they looked like at the point around her then for comparison.

Charlie hadn't been lying, she came to notice- every few steps they took, all the greenery and undergrowth seemed to get closer together. "Brushwood Tangle" was about as accurate of a name as she could think to give such an environment, since the smaller flora on the forest floor seemed to tangle together and the tree trunks seemed to form a maze. Charlie evidently decided that the trees were easier to traverse, for he followed along with them by swinging on the lower-hanging branches.

Eventually, the trees formed something of an arch overhead and some of the trunks seemed to grow so close together so as to form a wall, whatever waited beyond their boundary being obscured by the shadows they cast.

"Alright, here it is," Lila noted, looking up at the woody arch, "Keep an eye out for Rina, and if we hit a Monster House for whatever reason… throw Trixie to them and run for the stairs."

Trixie went back to grinning. "You wouldn't be trying to _sacrifice_ me, would you? Because I'd feel perfectly at home amongst a room full of ferals trying to kill everything that moves; we'd probably make good friends, ehehe!"

The Eevee on Lila's back seemed a bit perturbed at the idea, but Lila was perfectly content. "Why are you assuming my plan is to sacrifice you and _not_ distract them?"

"Why just a Monster House? Let her Poison Sting whatever she wants to; save us the trouble," Charlie noted with a shrug.

The Croagunk seemed utterly enthralled with the idea.

Astrid fluffed out a bit, a little unsure. "H-hey, now, we'll figure that out when the time comes, right…?"

"C'mon, guys, let's go save Rina already," Arashi nonchalantly concurred.

No one dissented.

**Brushwood Tangle 1F**

A "Brushwood Tangle" it sure was. Their surroundings were nothing like Tranquil Tunnel, yet it had all the same attributes- large rooms and thin corridors. If Astrid had seen anything like it, she certainly wasn't remembering, for the sight of the underbrush growing into a wall and the branches overhead forming a solid ceiling above them seemed odd for a natural structure yet her company wasn't batting an eye. Mossy rocks blended into the surroundings, and out of the ground sprouted some more shrubbery that threatened to trip any unsuspecting wanderer. She decided she might have liked to nestle into the thick greenery, but given its status, decided that too was a ridiculous notion. Her basket in Arashi's house provided all the cozy cramped space she needed.

"Keep an eye out for berries," Arashi advised. "And seeds, come to think of it- they'll probably be growing here, too."

"Veeko, pay attention," Lila instructed to her little brother.

"M-hmmm…" was Veeko's subdued response.

The Jolteon crouched down for a moment to let her little sibling crawl off of her back, but even so, Veeko was sticking close to his sister's legs.

Two branch canopy hallways forked out, one to the right and one to the left, from the room they found themselves in to start, and Astrid eyed them both. "Which way are we going?"

"Let's start by going right," Arashi suggested.

The Rowlet and the Froakie took up at the head of the pack, though Lila was very close as well. Charlie kept an eye behind them, while Trixie kept firmly in the middle and Veeko was practically glued to his sister.

However, on the ground beneath the Eevee was a small clump of leaves, which no one paid any mind until he placed one paw on top of it then suddenly recoiled when it began to… shriek, or so it appeared. He jumped backwards in surprise, for it began to wiggle, and the others present were certainly shooting it a glance.

"W-what _is_ that?!" the Eevee cried in dismay, his ears flattening back.

He was answered by an Oddish popping up from the ground, its face looking upset and confused, though it quickly turned to pointed frustration when it set eyes on the intruders to its house. Astrid had her wings slightly out from her body, ready to go, and Lila crouched down just a bit towards it, but neither one of them needed to do anything before someone else intervened.

"No! Go back to sleep!" Trixie shouted, a bit of poisonous fluid dripping out from her fingers.

The Croagunk deftly poked the Oddish back into the ground with an oozing hand almost as fast as the thing had emerged, muffling its shrieks but the leaves on top still wiggling frantically. The ground started to break again, the one underneath it clearly not amused and its cries becoming a bit erratic. However, the Jolteon among the brigade didn't waste time, a white energy from about her forming into star-like discs which quickly jabbed into the center of the Oddish's leafy top before dissipating. The Swift was plenty enough to shut the Weed Pokémon up and make it cease.

"… That's an Oddish, Veeko," Lila said nonchalantly, "They're kind of annoying."

The Eevee nodded quickly without a word.

"… Watch out for screaming plants too, apparently," Charlie noted, blinking at the limp bunch of grass that was formerly fussing at them.

Astrid looked to her Froakie comrade, and he seemed fascinated by the entire ordeal with his bright eyes and wide grin- at least, they were brighter and wider than usual, and went back to their normal look shortly thereafter. The Oddish taken care of, they went back to venturing.

"Did you _have_ to smash that thing so fast?" Charlie jested at the Croagunk.

"Dude, I just wanna be a Toxicroak so badly," Trixie brushed it off.

Just like Tranquil Tunnel, the corridors were too narrow to traverse as a group and the six of them had to string themselves out in a line- save for Charlie, who instead took to swinging along overhead, and the tiny Eevee who instead just flattened his ears and ducked underneath Lila. The Jolteon didn't seem to care much one way or another.

"Watch out for Carnivine up there," Arashi amiably warned the Aipom.

Charlie chuckled. "I'm not the one weak to Grass-type attacks, now am I?"

Arashi shot him a playful glance, but only giggled.

Astrid half-wondered how Charlie got along so easily with just one hand (and not even the main two attached to his arms), but didn't think about it for too long. There were no unexpected feral visitors from up above, on the ground, or down below waiting for them in the corridor, which the Rowlet was thankful for in the interest of getting to the Pikipek as soon as possible.

There didn't seem to be any feral visitors in the room it opened up into either, but still something evidently caught Arashi's attention for his expression turned bubbly and excited almost the second he scanned the room.

"Yes! This is great!" the Froakie cried, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hm? What is?" Astrid inquired, trying to follow his gaze.

"H-huh…?" Veeko parroted.

Lila, Charlie, and Trixie seemed to know what he was referencing too, but Astrid just couldn't see it (and apparently neither could Veeko).

Arashi hopped closer to Astrid's side and pointed upwards to a certain type of plant weaving itself in among the canopy layer, and Lila also directed Veeko's gaze to it with one of her paws.

"Oran berries," Arashi said, pointing out some light blue fruits growing amongst the leaves. "You know, the ones good for healing?"

Astrid noticed them and it caught her attention too. There weren't a lot, but she could easily make out three of them. "Oh! So they grow here?"

"Apparently they do," answered her comrade, "It's always good to have those on hand when you're dungeon-crawling."

"I got 'em," Charlie declared, shinnying up the wall and shortly making his way over to the berries.

The Aipom plucked them off the branch and dropped them down to Arashi, who bounced up to catch them in the air while leaving the sack on the ground. There were three of them like the Rowlet had noticed, though Charlie appeared to be searching for more, albeit in vain, and came down upon finding none.

Trixie, however, strutted over to the Eevee and leaned down to talk softly to him. "In other words, you can get your face gnawed off and be relatively okay if you've got some of those~"

The Eevee certainly looked surprised at her words, though the Croagunk herself was letting out a surprised cry shortly when a little spark of electricity shocked her from the Jolteon.

"Kinda like what I'll do to you if you go telling my little brother stuff to freak him out," Lila remarked.

Trixie only giggled mischievously while Arashi and Astrid tucked the berries away.

**Brushwood Tangle 2F**

The first room was empty, but at least there were no hiding Oddish lying in wait for them. Whatever brush coated the floor, it didn't look like anything that would cause alarm if rustled, but everyone tread carefully nonetheless as they entered the corridor connecting it to the next room.

"So did you clear the dungeon by yourself, Veeko?" Charlie inquired of the little Eevee, glancing down from the ceiling for a moment before moving to the next branch.

"Y-yeah, I guess," Veeko answered, still sticking close to Lila, "It's just 'cause I could escape all the wild Pokémon here, though. I guess I was just lucky…"

"His ability is Run Away," Lila clarified, "He can weasel out of most everything."

Astrid's head swiveled back just a bit as she mused, "_That_ must be handy for situations like this…"

Trixie laughed. "This is probably the _only_ time it would come in handy- walking into someplace you didn't want to be. And if you _know_ you don't want to be somewhere, then there's no use being able to run away easier since you wouldn't go in the first place!"

"It's true; I've got the same ability and I'd much rather have one like Trixie or Lila's," Charlie added.

The Croagunk started grinning again. "Ehehe, it _is_ pretty nice knowing when someone's got a super effective move so I can thwack 'em harder to start with~"

Astrid had to admit, _that_ would likely be useful too, that is, if one wasn't too concerned with dodging every hit as it were.

The corridor opened into a much larger room, the stairs visible on the opposite end they came from and their surroundings seemingly empty of other Pokémon. There were no items lying about to be seen, but that was fine- they had a stash of sufficient ones anyway.

"Ah! That was easy!" Arashi exclaimed happily, looking at their exit to the floor. "Only one room away!"

Astrid too was glad for such.

However, it was too early for celebrations, as near to them, a piece of shrubbery began to rustle and jumped up, revealing itself as a Fomantis. It looked at them for a moment as if merely confused by the strange creatures that didn't belong in its territory, but soon it decided its course of action and scurried towards them.

"Nope!" Charlie uttered, dropping down from the ceiling.

The Aipom flipped his body so as to Tail Whip their feral company on his way down, stunning it for just a second and making the Fomantis tilt its head towards him as if to non-verbally question why he would do so. At the same time, Arashi spit a Bubble into its face which didn't do much damage, but certainly occupied it with waving its sickle-shaped arms trying to shake them off.

"Veeko, your turn. Tackle it," Lila instructed, giving her little brother a nudge.

"Wh-wha-!" Veeko started to protest, looking frightened at the Sickle Grass Pokémon.

"_Do_ it!" Lila interjected.

He didn't protest again. While it was still shaking its head, the Eevee darted out and took a jump, Tackling their foe. It let out a surprised squeak, its arms still flapping as it sprawled on the ground, but Veeko quickly disentangled himself and jumped back before it could strike with one of them. Instead, it held its arms up and sent forth a flurry of glowing leaves, which Astrid easily recognized as a Leafage. She prepared to counter with her own, but Lila summoned up some more star-shaped discs of energy that met with each glowing leaf to destroy them before the Rowlet could make her move.

More squeaks followed, the Fomantis seeming to stomp one tiny foot in protestation in a clear attempt to tell them off if they could understand its sounds.

"Finish it off!" Lila instructed the Eevee.

Veeko's ears flattened out again, but nonetheless, he rammed his body into the Fomantis once more to make it stop its antics for the time being. The fussing feral laid flat out on the ground, its arms limp beside it and no more squeaks coming from it.

"Alright! You did it!" Arashi cheered.

"Way to show that thing who's boss!" Trixie added happily.

Still the Eevee shirked away uncertainly, eyeing it. "It's done…?"

"It sure is," Lila answered, strolling over to her little brother, "You okay?"

He nodded, though he went back to clinging to her side.

"Let's get out of here," Arashi suggested.

"Let's," Astrid agreed.

They went for the stairs, still being careful not to step on anything that might shriek or squeak at them.

However, after they had left the floor, a few small eyes watched them from mere centimeters above the earth, barely detectable even to someone who would indeed be looking for them. Several more little shrubs popped up, around half a dozen Fomantis running to the corridor Team Starstorm's brigade had come from while squeaking incessantly.

A Lurantis emerged from the corridor, looking down at all of them that gathered about its feet, jumping and frantically vocalizing. Its petal-like scythes gently patted each of them on the head before it too set off towards the stairs.

**Brushwood Tangle 3F**

No stairs greeted them in the next room, but two corridors in the trees did, one of which they went for.

"I-is it possible Rina was able to get out by herself? Veeko, would you know?" Astrid inquired, turning her head back to look at the Eevee for a moment, then turning forward and ruffling up a bit, "N-not that I'm complaining! I-it would just be better if she _wasn't_ stuck in a dungeon by herself…"

"You worry too much, Fluffy," Trixie jested at the Rowlet.

She blushed under her feathers, while Arashi chuckled. If anyone was 'fluffy,' it was the Eevee, Astrid thought to herself, slightly perplexed.

"I don't think so," Veeko answered, his ears slicking back a bit, "She can't run as fast…"

"If Toko and Ace don't teach her how to battle, _I'm_ going to," Lila declared.

"Can I help~?" Trixie chirped.

"Oh, you'd _help_ alright," Charlie remarked.

The Jolteon didn't answer the Croagunk, rolling her eyes and smirking a bit.

However, a cry came from up above them before they entered the hallway of tree trunks, the source obviously being Charlie.

"Agh! Do I _look_ tasty to you?!"

The Aipom darted backwards on the ceiling, the source of his frustration becoming apparent as it spread out its grassy limbs and opened its wide maw: a Carnivine. Apparently it thought Charlie did indeed look tasty, for its leafy limbs darted out trying to catch him as he scurried away.

"That's what we warned you about, wise guy," Trixie remarked.

"Get down here!" Lila hollered.

Charlie dropped down, but so did the Bug Catcher Pokémon, landing on its vine tentacles and looking them over as if debating who looked tastier.

"Get back, Veeko- this is a harder one," the Jolteon instructed her little brother.

Veeko did so, quickly darting behind the rest of the entourage.

One of the Carnivine's vine appendages shot out to attack the ones closest, but as it did so, Arashi gave it a face full of bubbles and Astrid gave a flap of her wings to add a Leafage to the mix. The Carnivine didn't even seem fazed, which the Rowlet noticed right off the bat and instead bit down hard on its vine with her beak.

_That_ certainly seemed to bother it, a cry coming from its gaping maw and its appendage flailing before Astrid let it go.

"Did you just learn Peck?" Arashi inquired with a grin.

"I guess so; I just want this thing to _go_," the Rowlet quickly replied, giving the Carnivine's maw an uncertain glance.

The Carnivine didn't seem very happy at her attack, for its goofy eyes narrowed at her and it lunged for her with its mouth open to Bite, both she and Arashi quickly jumping out of the way. Lila's Swift dissuaded it and it seemed to grow upset at her next, for it tried to Bite her soon after.

"Lila!" Veeko cried in worry.

Lila's fur stood up and sparked, but Arashi dropped the bag for a second and darted at the Carnivine instead, slamming into its head almost too fast to see to knock it off course.

"Did you just learn Quick Attack?!" Charlie inquired of the Froakie.

He grinned again, happily crying, "Oh! I guess I did!"

"Well, then that's one less Thunderbolt I have to use," Lila remarked, not bothered at all.

The Carnivine growled, one of its vines shooting out again for a Vine Whip at the Froakie, but at the same time, Trixie jumped in front of him and met the Bug Catcher's appendage with her oozing poisonous finger.

"_Come get some!_" the Croagunk taunted.

The vine quickly recoiled, its owner shivering at Trixie's poison seeping in. The Croagunk cackled happily, though Astrid certainly wasn't wasting time and quickly flitted closer, giving it another Peck on its yellow stem (a safe location from its gaping mouth). Another growl came, but in any case, the Carnivine twitched a bit before fainting.

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. "Haaaah! You guys took care of that before I could even get a hit!"

Arashi giggled, picking the bag back up. "Well, it wanted to eat you!"

"It wanted to eat _everyone_," Lila remarked.

The Jolteon beckoned her little brother back to her side, and Veeko did so, while Charlie evidently elected to stay on the ground after that run-in. Astrid and Arashi both shared approving glances, the Rowlet deflating.

However, from the other corridor came several squeaking Fomantis, all looking a bit upset and waving their sickles. Astrid couldn't help but eye them confusedly, for she thought they looked ridiculous, more akin to flailing young children on a playground… but what sort of children and what playground, she didn't know, for she couldn't quite connect the mental imagery.

"YES!" Trixie cried happily, her fingers practically dripping poison at the sight of them.

Lila's Swift was already making quick work of one, who found itself splayed out on the dungeon floor after taking one starry hit.

Arashi, however, didn't seem as inclined. "Now, do we _have_ to hurt them? They're cute!" he protested, smiling at them.

"_Yes!_" Charlie protested. "Not everything is as friendly as you, you dimwit!"

The Aipom got a few bubbles to his face, but he didn't care.

"Veeko, you get the other one," said the Jolteon, giving her little brother a nudge.

Veeko's ears flattened again and he looked at one, while Trixie laughed happily, Poison Stinging another and knocking it out, but Astrid tilted her head to the side and studied the last one.

"Hey, hang on a second," she mused.

"Huh? What's up?" inquired Lila, Veeko looking a bit relieved beside her.

The last Fomantis scuttled up to her and Arashi, but didn't attack them, instead just squeaking and gesturing wildly in place.

"Whoa, there! That thing's awfully close!" Trixie exclaimed, still grinning with toxic fists.

Nonetheless, they all studied it. It skittered up to Arashi in particular and tried to circle around him, but the Froakie too turned in a circle whilst eyeing it and ready to move.

"What're you doing, huh~?" Arashi chirped at it, amiable but puzzled.

It stomped its feet again, still squeaking, then skittered closer and reached for the bag with one arm. It wasn't quite able to reach it and bounced in an attempt to, and when that failed, went back to squeaking and flailing.

"Do you like our bag?" the Froakie inquired, still grinning.

"That thing can't understand you," Charlie noted, he too looking puzzled but more at why they were allowing it so close.

More foot-stomping, but apparently it wasn't trying to be friendly. Several glowing leaves detached from its body and Arashi jumped back in anticipation of an attack, but before it could use one, Astrid gave it a swift Peck on its head and knocked it out.

"_No. Bad._" The Rowlet scolded its limp form, then glancing to Lila and Veeko, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Lila brushed it off, Veeko looking _very_ relieved next to her.

Arashi gave her a pat on the wing with his free hand. "Thanks!"

She nodded, and they were off again.

**Brushwood Tangle 4F**

"Keep an eye out for Rina," Lila instructed, "She'll probably be here or the next floor."

"Does that mean we should comb this entire floor? We won't get lost, will we?" Charlie inquired.

Arashi giggled. "Just don't forget where you came from, silly!"

"What he said," Lila concurred.

At least to start with, there was only one corridor for them to follow, and thankfully, there was no swooping Carnivine or shrieking Oddish to mess with them, just the tree branches intertwining overhead and the brush tangled up in the walls. It was slightly wider than the last, giving just enough room for two of them to walk side by side albeit in a rather cramped manner.

"Is what that Fomantis was doing… n-normal…?" Astrid inquired, her head swiveling about just a bit. "It didn't seem all _that_ out to get us… At least when it _first_ came up, anyway…"

"Maybe it could tell I was carrying some nice items," Arashi mused.

"Maybe it was just more curious than hostile- sometimes you'll get that," Lila also proposed.

"Or maybe it was just a stupid little runt that wanted to steal your stuff and then realized it didn't have proper hands to make off with anything and decided the next best bet was to slice your arms off," said Trixie.

The Froakie chuckled at the idea, while Lila and Charlie shot the Croagunk a questioning glance. Astrid certainly like Arashi and Lila's ideas much, _much_ better.

A few stray leaves fell down in front of them, followed by a slight rustling sound overhead, which everyone paused and looked up at to find the source thereof.

"W-what was that?!" Veeko asked, looking a bit alarmed.

As if to draw out the source, Lila's fur began to spark and she released a Thunderbolt upwards into the thick overgrowth to illuminate whatever lied inside. There wasn't much, but they did see a certain tangle of vines slightly different than the rest that seemed to be moving, and shortly thereafter, two big white eyes peered back down at them belonging to a Tangela. Veeko recoiled closer to his sister's side almost straight away.

"Oho! One of the big guys!" Trixie exclaimed.

It shortly dropped down in front of them, blocking their way to the other side of the corridor both with its body in the way and with some outstretched vines slinking off thereof.

"Don't worry about this one, Veeko," said Lila.

And again, the Eevee was relieved.

The corridor wasn't all that great for avoiding blows, as they quickly saw. Several vines reached up and then swatted down to Vine Whip them, the narrow walls providing little place to run. Charlie shinnied up the wall again and darted along the ceiling, while Astrid outstretched her wings to shield her Water-type comrade and Pecked one, and Lila's Swift managed to slash a few loose.

"Trixie, jump," the Jolteon instructed the Croagunk behind her, hunching down a bit.

The Croagunk didn't have to be told twice, for as soon as Lila knelt down, Trixie sprang onto her back and leaped off of the back of her head, poison already coating her hands. Charlie dropped down from the tangles overhead and Tail Whipped their target, then gave it a Scratch while still in brief contact to loosen another vine.

Though it wouldn't be good for damage, Arashi shot a stream of bubbles at its face, which didn't even seem to register as an attack to their foe. Nonetheless, Astrid took the opportunity and darted straight up to the tangle surrounding its eyes and gave it another Peck, right into whatever lied beneath the vines surrounding its face, while Trixie too Poison Stung it before landing on the other side of it with Charlie.

However, Astrid could feel the vines quickly coalesce and tighten around her, something she wasn't too thrilled about.

"Agh-! Guys!" the Rowlet cried, trying to flap her wings.

"_Hey!_ Let go of her!" Arashi too cried in protest, letting another Bubble go.

Even if the Tangela could understand them, it certainly wasn't listening. Astrid Pecked it again, but it apparently seemed fine sacrificing one vine to her beak, for one wrapped around her next to hold it closed. She tried unleashing a Leafage, but it wasn't much use having her wings held against her sides.

"Brace yourself!" Lila hollered.

Though the Rowlet couldn't see, several more flat stars began glowing around Lila, and sailed straight for the appendages ensnaring her. At the same time, Trixie gave the Tangela another Poison Sting and Charlie Scratched it again hoping to catch its attention.

Astrid quickly figured out that indeed, Lila was probably the strongest one amongst them, for even if the attack cut her loose, taking it in the first place was… unpleasant. The vines broke, but still she could feel the Swift collide with her, and she was panting just a bit after taking a few steps away as if she might collapse.

"You need a berry?" Arashi inquired, looking a bit concerned.

"N-no," she replied, albeit hesitantly.

The Tangela's vines recoiled at being so uncaringly slashed, the rest of them tightening around its hidden body. Nonetheless, behind it, Charlie jabbed one hand through the tangle and Scratched it before taking it back quickly, which seemed to do in the Vine Pokémon. It fell limply before the other part of the entourage, and they looked at each other.

"Th-that was scary," Veeko softly remarked.

"Did you pay attention?" Lila asked him.

The Eevee nodded.

"Well, if we're all in one piece, let's keep looking," Arashi said, "Rina's gotta be here somewhere."

They kept going, making sure to comb every corridor and room while calling out for the lost Pikipek, but even so, she didn't appear to be anywhere. Charlie checked tangles inaccessible to the rest of them and Lila lit up some areas of dense growth with her sparks, but even so, they could find no little bird among the dense growth.

Astrid noticed her vivacity slowly coming back as they traversed the floor, which she recalled Arashi mentioning in Tranquil Tunnel as a common occurrence for dungeons, but even so, similar to what she had only vaguely noticed in the tunnel, she felt her stomach seeming to gnaw away at itself. Her comrade hadn't been lying- she healed fast, but she felt the hunger would knock her out before any wild Pokémon did.

"Rina!" Veeko called.

"Rina? You in here?" Charlie inquired, weaseling into a tangle of brush on one side of the room.

"Hey! _Other_ girlie with wings! Where are you?!" Trixie called down a corridor.

Astrid too checked under some rather large leaves growing over a rather flat stem, Arashi sticking close to her too.

"H-hey, Arashi?" asked the Rowlet, crawling back out from under the plant.

"Yeah?" her comrade answered.

"What was it you said in Tranquil Tunnel about healing fast but getting hungry…?"

"Oh! That's referring to how time acts kinda weird in dungeons. You know, we all need food, and we all need rest if we get hurt, but those things happen faster in dungeons. Basically, you can take damage and then just walk it off provided it's not _too_ bad, like getting hit with a Toxic and badly poisoned. But the same also holds true for the not-so-great side of things, so you get hungry faster and need to eat something. This is a small dungeon and it's in a forest, so there's probably food growing somewhere, and if all else fails, we have the berries… Why, are you getting hungry?"

She shyly nodded.

Her comrade giggled, grinning. "Hey, me too," he replied, "Keep your eyes out for any more trees with things growing on them."

Another nod, the Rowlet somewhat eased by the explanation. She certainly filed that away in her memory, but still, she got another thought. "Wait, so does that apply to _everything?_"

"Hm? What do you mean, 'everything?'"

"Like… if your body is sped up, does that mean we're getting older faster, too?" she inquired, a bit perturbed by what answer she might get.

The Froakie, however, was evidently amused at the question and started laughing, getting looks from their company on the other sides of the room.

"Quit fooling around, you useless posers!" Trixie called.

"D-don't worry; we're not," Astrid called back.

Arashi contained himself, still wearing a huge grin. The Rowlet couldn't quite distinguish why- but then again, she couldn't distinguish why he smiled half the time, anyway.

"As far as anyone knows, no," her comrade answered, "Besides, if that were the case, then I guess my idols would be _so_ dead by now, aha! And Mom and Dad, too! Sheesh, _no one_ would go into dungeons if that's what it did to you, since the biggest ones we know of are 99 floors and people have still cleared them! That's a _lot_ of floors to be shortening your life on!"

"A-ah… When you put it _that_ way…" her voice trailed off. She sighed a bit, giving him a glance and putting the tip of one wing on his free arm. "I am _so_ glad I've got you to fill me in on all this. I'd be screwed just wandering around by myself in these places."

He giggled as the Rowlet took her wing back. "Well, maybe that's why you ended up on the beach! So you'd _have_ me for whatever it is you're here for!"

Astrid couldn't help but giggle a bit at her comrade's boundless enthusiasm.

Nonetheless, for all their looking, Rina didn't turn up in any part of the room- not under the leaves, not tangled in the ceiling, not inside one hollow log in a corner. Veeko looked deflated and anxious, his paws perpetually moving even if he was just sitting in place.

"C'mon, let's look in the next room," said Lila.

"If it's a game of hide-n-seek, Rina, you win, now get out here!" Trixie called.

To the next room they went, the corridor connecting to it thankfully having no other hostile company. Yet, the room itself _did_ have something to meet them- another squeaking Fomantis.

"Veeko, this one is yours," said Lila. "You know what to do."

The Eevee did, but even so, he seemed very hesitant about doing it, for again he cautiously studied the Fomantis for a few seconds before darting up and Tackling it, still looking scared of it. It squeaked in protest, looking upset at someone attacking it, and as it sprawled on the ground with the Eevee still in contact with it, it drew one sickle back for a Fury Cutter that slashed at Veeko's chest. Thankfully it was just a blade of grass that the Fomantis wielded, yet even so, the Eevee yelped in pain and quickly disentangled himself. He hopped backwards away from it, looking even more uncertain.

"Don't worry about it, Veeko; just give it another Tackle," Lila called.

He didn't look thrilled about doing so, especially not when some leaves detached from the squeaking Fomantis's body and began to glow. The Eevee looked like he was about to freeze up, while the Fomantis just looked frustrated and jumpy.

"C'mon, Veeko, you can do it," Lila called again, "Attack it or it'll attack you!"

"You got it, little guy!" Arashi too encouraged.

Veeko was shivering, but he darted at it again even as the Fomantis let its Leafage go. He flinched a bit at the leaves, but nonetheless rammed the Fomantis again and left it unconscious on the floor after one last squeak.

The Eevee whimpered, shaking himself off and freeing his fur of the few leaves that embedded themselves in it. "Th-that hurt…"

"You'll get stronger the more you face and it won't hurt after a while," said his sister. "You're still just learning."

He nodded, albeit gingerly. Astrid was glad she hadn't been brought into the world with a form as small and fragile as the Eevee's before them, that was for sure.

"What is _with_ these Fomantis?!" Charlie couldn't help but wonder, "Every single one just runs up like _that!_"

Arashi looked back at the Croagunk. "You didn't walk up to a random Lurantis and call it ugly, did you, Trixie? Maybe you made its kids mad!" he questioned with a playful grin.

The Croagunk corssed her arms, getting shifty again. "Now, Arashi, you _know_ if I was _really _going to insult someone enough to piss off their entire family, I'd have _much_ more colorful words than 'ugly,'" Trixie said to the contrary. "That being said, no, I didn't~"

Astrid half-wondered what those words were, but then decided she probably was better off not hearing them.

In any case, they set to combing the room, looking under every shrub and plant (while being very, very careful), but still, Rina was nowhere to be found. There was no little Pikipek's voice answering their calls, no stray feathers left on the ground to give some indication of where she might have been. Veeko got more worried the more they looked in vain, but still, they had no choice but to move on.

The next room was empty… of foes, anyway. The staircase greeted them, but Arashi's eyes seemed to lock on something else further up on the ceiling.

"Hah! We found one!" he exclaimed happily.

Astrid's eyes drifted up and she too noticed it: some red apples growing on a branch intertwined among the tangling ones on the ceiling, practically begging for someone to come pick them. The others seemed to notice them too, and gave likewise happy interjections.

"Charlie, do the honors, will you?" said Lila.

"I'm on it," replied the Aipom, shinnying up the wall.

"So we're taking a snack break?" Trixie inquired, seeming all too enthused with the idea.

"We sure are!" Arashi laughed.

As Charlie knocked them down, Lila's Swift cut them into smaller pieces and Arashi jumped up to catch them. There were four of them- plenty enough for sharing the smaller pieces, which they divided up amongst themselves.

Astrid's beak made quick work of them, and Arashi too swallowed them down with ease. The others didn't seem _too_ concerned, but they certainly weren't leaving their share behind, especially the little Eevee.

"That's another thing to take note of, Veeko- if you don't have food, you'll eventually faint if you can't get any," the Jolteon explained to her little brother.

He nodded. "I was starting to notice, just a little…"

He certainly hadn't been the only one, for Astrid and Arashi exchanged glances, the Froakie silently giggling.

"Rina? You here?" Charlie called, going back to looking in the tangles of growth.

She wasn't. No matter where they looked, they couldn't find her- not under anything, not inside of anything, and certainly not out in plain view.

"Well, if she's not on this floor, she'll probably be on the next," Arashi mused.

"Keep going?" asked Astrid, giving the staircase a glance.

No one was protesting it. On they went.

Yet, in the previous room over, a squeaking Fomantis scurried over to the larger Lurantis, waving its arms at its sides and jumping up and down. Whatever it said, the Lurantis gave it a nod and a pat on the head, then tore off into the room with the staircase and ran up it.


	10. Chapter 10: Solar Blade Scuffle

**Brushwood Tangle 5F**

"Rina? Rina, are you here?" Veeko called, looking around.

Nothing.

"She's gotta be somewhere, little guy," Arashi noted, holding up a leaf and peeking underneath it.

The Eevee whimpered as if he weren't so sure.

Where that somewhere was, they had no idea. The Pikipek wasn't immediately visible to them, and calling didn't receive an answer from the room they wound up in or the corridors close by. Lila tried to illuminate some thicker areas with her sparks to no avail, and Charlie didn't return from the thick tangles of vines and branches that he crawled into with her either.

However, a certain Croagunk evidently brushed up against the wrong shrub, for the familiar shrieking sound of a buried Oddish met their ears and Trixie turned a bit flustered at the bunch of leaves underfoot.

"Agh, no!" Trixie cried, Poison Stinging the bundle of leaves right off the bat.

"Way to go, Trixie," Charlie remarked sarcastically, peeking his head down from the ceiling.

Astrid gave her a glance, wondering if perhaps the shrieking Grass-type would emerge from the ground and cause them problems, but apparently it wouldn't even get that chance with Trixie Poison Stinging it over and over again back into the dirt. The shrieking stopped in mere seconds, though the Rowlet couldn't help but feel just a bit sorry for the Oddish.

"Oh, come on, I could've let Veeko take that one," Lila remarked.

"Too late," Trixie flippantly shot back with a smirk.

Nonetheless, there were two tree trunk hallways waiting for them after they verified that indeed, Rina was not in their starting room. They looked between them, thinking.

"Should we split up?" Charlie guessed.

"We could definitely cover more ground that way," Arashi agreed.

"Let's do it," concurred Lila, "There's six of us, so let's do groups of three. Obviously, Veeko stays with me."

"And I'm staying with Astrid," Arashi declared, sticking his free hand around the Rowlet.

"Then I'm taking the expeditioners," Charlie decided, taking up next to Astrid and Arashi.

"Fine by me; I'll take up for the little guy if something big jumps out," Trixie said with a smirk, happily flexing her poisonous fingers.

"If we don't run into each other while we're looking, let's agree to meet up by the stairs," said Lila, "That way we don't get lost from each other."

That was agreeable to them all, and they set off, Lila's bunch to the left and the remaining to the right. Veeko was sticking to his sister like a shadow in the absence of the larger group, but no one else seemed particularly concerned with the reduced numbers.

"Just between the three of us, I'll just say I picked you two because I think you're the group less likely to get us killed by accident," Charlie chuckled.

"I would certainly hope that doesn't happen," Astrid mused shyly, giving the Aipom a little glance backwards.

Arashi grinned. "Well, we _are_ the official ones now, aha!"

What looked like an Oddish's leafy crown sprouted out of the floor in the corridor, which they were all very careful to avoid stepping on. Astrid flapped, Arashi hopped, and Charlie climbed over it.

Something _did_ catch their attention in the next room over, a limp form lying on the ground, but not the one they looked for. A Carnivine laid there in the middle of the floor, slumped over to one side as if it had been latched to the ceiling some time before and then was swiftly knocked out in one hit before it could strike back. Astrid eyed it, not quite sure what to make of it, for it didn't seem to be sleeping (and if it was, she had to question the comfort of such a position).

"I-is it… unconscious…?" the Rowlet inquired.

"Looks like it," Arashi concurred.

"If it was asleep, it'd still be stuck to the ceiling," noted Charlie. "Maybe a wild Noctowl wandered too close early in the morning and the fight didn't end in its favor."

She figured that such an encounter would at least leave some sort of visible mark if the Carnivine was _still_ out cold, but she didn't see any. In any case, the thought of accidentally disturbing it and getting chomped by its giant maw kept her from looking.

"Rina?" the Rowlet called.

"Rina? You can come out! It's us- Arashi, Astrid, and Charlie!" said the Froakie.

The Carnivine evidently _was_ unconscious, for their cries didn't wake it. At the very least, it permitted them to search the room in peace.

In the other, though, there was much more uproar.

"Seriously?! Poison Powder on a Poison-type?! You really aren't that bright of a host, are you?" Trixie half-laughed and half-shouted at the Parasect creeping towards them.

"I think it was aiming for me, but thanks," Lila laughed, preparing a Swift.

The Mushroom Pokemon waved one claw in the air, scattering about more spores that were dispersed by the starry discs. Veeko was keeping far back, watching with wide eyes.

"Sheesh! The ground here is basically a bunch of living booby traps!" exclaimed Trixie. Then, grinning, "Isn't it _great~?!_"

"N-not really," Veeko softly dissented.

The Parasect lurched at the Jolteon, waving one claw in an attempt to Slash her, but a Thunderbolt dropping on it gave Lila enough time to jump back.

"_HEY! Brainless buffoon!"_ Trixie shouted while charging up and giving the mushroom a poison-drenched thwack. "I'm over here!"

The Parasect was Astonished at her move, hunching down just a bit and shielding its head with its pincers. However, some more powdery dust was emitted from under its mushroom, which caught the Croagunk off guard and made her stall for a moment as it wafted through the air around her.

"Oh, by the gods, not _this_ mess," Lila groaned, shaking her head and preparing another Swift.

"H-huh…~?" Trixie chirped confusedly, stumbling a bit but still grinning.

It didn't take long for her to be asleep on the ground, the Sleep Powder working all too well. Veeko whimpered in worry, but nonetheless, Lila's Swift put the Parasect out too, the insectoid body falling limp with just its claws sticking out from under the mushroom.

"W-what happened?" Veeko asked nervously.

"Sleep Powder," Lila clarified, "She'll wake up, but she's useless for now."

"O-oh…"

The Jolteon carefully grabbed Trixie with her mouth, throwing the Croagunk onto her back where Veeko had formerly taken up. Both of Trixie's arms draped over Lila's sides limply, and even while she was asleep, the Croagunk seemed to be grinning at finding a softer surface.

Both Lila and Veeko set to looking for Rina, but their calls didn't elicit any response. It did seem to elicit the attention of something else though, for two squeaking Fomantises skittered in through the corridor. Veeko began looking hesitant almost right away, knowing his sister would likely make him fight again, while the Jolteon wasn't fazed at all and prepared to attack.

… However, the Fomantises merely blinked at them before turning around and running the other way, causing Lila to get a confused look.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Hey! My little brother needs practice!"

They were gone before the wary Eevee could get any. Lila shook her head and the both of them merely set back to looking for the Pikipek.

Trixie was still snoring peacefully when Lila and Veeko made their way to the next room, a quite long one with the stairs set in the middle. About the same time, the other three strode in through a hallway on the other side, and immediately noticed Trixie on Lila's back. They strolled up to each other, Astrid, Arashi, and Charlie giving the Croagunk some concerned looks.

"What happened?" asked Arashi.

"Is she okay…?" Astrid inquired.

"Sleep Powder," Lila explained, "We tried to look under a mushroom, turned out said mushroom was a Parasect… And we also got visited by some of the little squeakers, but they ran away for whatever reason."

"Well, we found a fainted Carnivine; maybe they were friends and the Fomantises just wanted to help!" Arashi mused.

"I doubt that," Charlie said to the contrary.

Astrid doubted it too, but still didn't think much of it. In any case, the five that were capable set to searching. Charlie carefully crawled about the tangled vines and the others left peered underneath the shrubbery closest to the ground, while Lila left Trixie carefully slumped against the staircase. However…

"Hey! Guys! We got company!" called Charlie.

They looked over, and he pointed to the corridor he and his other two comrades had come from, and sure enough, there were two squeaking Fomantises running out.

Lila studied them, a bit perplexed. "We _just_ saw those two!"

Yet they still seemed to be ignoring her and instead ran straight for the Froakie holding the bag, squeaking away.

"Veeko, you take the one closest," said Lila, glancing to her little brother.

"Hold on!" cried Arashi, still smiling and looking at the squeaking ones.

Charlie unfurled himself from the tangle he was inspecting and shot the Froakie a disbelieving look. "You're not _seriously_ going to try befriending these things, are you?"

"I just wanna see what they want!" Arashi said to the contrary.

Charlie and Lila both shook their heads, but Astrid studied them, not stepping in but still ready to if they raised a sickle or a glowing leaf at her comrade again.

"We have Rina to find; we don't have time for this," Charlie protested.

"Just give me a second!" Arashi said in objection.

The Aipom rolled his eyes, but nonetheless the little squeaking ones strutted straight up to Arashi, one of them merely staying in place and squeaking away while the other traipsed around to his side and reached for the bag again.

The Froakie looked at them funny, but still grinned anyway. "What is it you want? Haven't you seen a bag before?" he jested, taking it off of his shoulder and setting it on the ground.

Two high-pitched squeals were the response, the Fomantises jumping up and down in what appeared to be a happy dance. The others present weren't quite sure what to think, but the Froakie certainly seemed perfectly content with their interaction, while Astrid, however, wasn't quite buying it and still kept a watchful eye on them.

"If he tries to leave with two squeakers, he's getting Thunderbolted," Lila remarked.

Astrid certainly hoped that neither of those things would happen.

Yet still, the 'squeakers' in question didn't seem to be hostile, but instead just rather mischievous, for one of them eased the bag open with its two sickles and the other reached for an Oran berry without giving their search party company any attention at all.

"You've got these growing here, silly! What's so exciting, huh?" Arashi laughed at them, then looking at the others, "See, they're just curious!"

However, when he turned his glance away, the one holding the bag open readied a Leafage.

"Watch it!" Astrid cried, readying her own.

"Huh?!" cried the Froakie, quickly turning back.

His face fell when he realized that indeed, they were still hostile. Almost like a blue blur, Arashi rushed it in a Quick Attack, but that didn't stop the glowing leaves from still colliding with his body.

"_Agh! Ow!_" the Froakie yelped.

They didn't regard him at all. Rather, after Arashi jumped back from the one he'd just attacked, they still seemed far more interested in the light blue berries, for the empty-handed Fomantis squeaked something to its tagalong that then started scurrying the other way while carrying a berry. Astrid couldn't help but be confused by the entire display, still ready to attack but slightly unsure of how to proceed with such.

"M-maybe they're hungry…?" mused the Rowlet, albeit in a last-ditch guess.

"I'd believe that easier if they weren't almost completely photosynthetic," Lila brushed it off. "Veeko, take the one that's running."

The one that wasn't running, however, shot Arashi a glare and raised up one sickle for a Fury Cutter, but a Pound from the Froakie cut that maneuver short before it could strike. Veeko still seemed like he'd much rather stay back and watch the rest, but in any case, he charged the running one and Tackled it, causing it to fling the berry out of its arms with a squeak.

"Finish it off!" called the Jolteon.

"Ngh…!" Veeko grunted, backing up as the Fomantis regained its composure.

Their feral visitor gave him an angry shriek, shaking one of its sickles, but Veeko rammed himself into it again and shut it up, letting out a breath of relief after disentangling himself.

Lila chuckled, striding up to the Eevee and giving him a nuzzle on the back of his head, which Veeko certainly seemed to appreciate. "Your movements are getting quicker," she noted.

"R-really…?" her brother inquired, still looking a bit hesitant.

"Yeah! You need more practice, but you seem to be getting the idea."

"Hmmm…"

It was still apparent that the Eevee wasn't going to go seeking out practice, but he accepted Lila's words. Charlie retrieved the flung berry and stuffed it back in the bag, which Arashi again took up.

"Let's hit the next floor," said the Jolteon, "Rina's not-"

She was cut off. "Uh, _guys!_" came the cry of Charlie once again.

Again they looked over to the corridor, and noticed that yet again, they were not alone, but their company was different… and already looking unhappy. It was a primarily pink figure, able to look down on them all, light red eyes furrowed in vexation- a Lurantis.

"_There_ you are!" came its voice, noticeably feminine and sounding like an angry hiss.

Something in the air seemed to change as soon as the words left, but it was hard to get a handle on _what_. Astrid quickly glanced around and noticed the space in the room was beginning to fill with delicate pink petals that hadn't been there before, pretty as could be, gently floating… Floating and seeming to orbit around their glaring visitor with their gently swirling trajectory…

She reached out with her wing to get Arashi's attention and looked at him, wide-eyed. "_Run._"

The others seemed to notice it at about the same time, too, all of them taking off towards the stairs and Lila quickly throwing Trixie on her back again. It wasn't just some atmospheric attribute of the forest; it was the beginnings of a Petal Blizzard.

Still an angry hiss followed them. "_You think you're gonna get away from me?! Run all you want, cowards!_"

The petals began to glow and quickly descended on the escaping youngsters like a swarm of scavenging Mandibuzz. Several cries of discomfort filled the air as they bolted, Veeko ducking under Lila and Astrid throwing up a wing in an attempt to shield her Water-type comrade beside her. Charlie shielded himself with his three hands, but the only one left completely unprotected was Trixie… who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Astrid didn't mind the petals much either, for she barely felt them, but nonetheless she still was of mind that it would have been better with them completely absent.

The Lurantis growled, taking off after the stairs too. "_I will find you! And I'll teach you a lesson!_"

"What did we _do?!_" cried Charlie, getting pelted by another petal.

"Do you guys know her?!" called Astrid.

"Nope!" Lila answered, tearing off up the steps.

Veeko was practically glued to Lila, Charlie was close behind, and Astrid and Arashi reached them mere moments later. The ceiling opened up above them and all of them rushed in as fast as they could manage, a quick glance downwards revealing the Lurantis at the bottom of the steps and sprinting up with glowing sickles on her arms. The ground closed like a trapdoor below them, shielding them from whatever the Lurantis was about to do and leaving the floor below empty once again.

**Brushwood Tangle 6F**

"Ngh! C'mere, you!"

"_Owww!_"

Someone certainly seemed to be stirring again with the change of scenery, Trixie's eyes bolting wide open before she leaped up from Lila's back and took a poisonous swing at the nearest target- which just so happened to be Astrid's beak.

"Trixie, what's wrong with you?!" cried Charlie.

"Agh! Sorry, Astrid!" cried the Croagunk, her eyes shooting wide and her face turning embarrassed. "Where's the Parasect?! What happened?!"

The Rowlet rubbed her beak with one wing, feathers ruffled in uncertain discomfort. "I-it's alright…"

Lila rolled her eyes. "I took care of the Parasect; you got hit with Sleep Powder."

Trixie laughed awkwardly, sticking one hand behind her head and wearing a wide grin. "Oh, so _that's _why I feel so refreshed! Hehehe, Lila, you must have really nice fur~"

In silent response, the Jolteon's fur sparked and stood up on end like a bed of needles, which shut the Croagunk up after another mischievous giggle left Trixie's mouth.

Nonetheless, thankfully, there was no angry Lurantis in the room with them, but her actual location was another matter entirely. There was no Pikipek in the room either, at least that they could see, their surroundings still being some dense undergrowth and tangled walls of trees and shrubs. There was again but one corridor, which certainly made taking directions easier.

"S-so you guys don't know who that was?" Astrid asked uncertainly, peering around their entourage, "W-was she another one like that Rhyperior…?"

Veeko seemed more alarmed than anyone at the thought, though the Rowlet certainly wasn't happy with the possibilities either. At her question, several glances travelled about their bunch.

"Well, she didn't threaten to kill us," Arashi mused flatly, not sounding too convinced himself.

"She definitely wasn't wild, at least…" noted Charlie.

"Maybe she's tied to all those squeaking Fomantises; we still don't know what _they've_ been wanting," Lila supposed. "Let's not split up like last floor; we don't know what else she has in her arsenal and she seemed like she'd give us trouble in smaller numbers."

"If she's on this floor too, we have to find Rina before she does," Arashi proposed as well, "We gotta move fast."

They all agreed upon those conditions and set to looking, keeping a careful eye out for any visitors, squeaking or otherwise. The little Eevee was visibly unsettled by it all, his ears slicked back and tail tucked while he surveyed the undergrowth. Charlie crawled into the thick tangles and Lila illuminated others with her sparks to survey them, while Trixie and the Starstorm duo checked the thick growth as well for any fainted little birds. Yet it still seemed that, like the previous attempts, there was nothing to be found.

Astrid couldn't help but be puzzled by Rina's absence, for something about it didn't seem to be adding up. If they she and Veeko had indeed just been running away and Veeko's ability alone had allowed him to escape, Astrid couldn't make sense of how the Pikipek had made it past an altercation on the fourth floor, much less all the way to the sixth or further. The fainted Carnivine they had seen earlier certainly hadn't been the work of such a little one, to be sure.

Something, _something_ tugged at her mind about that fainted figure, but she couldn't place what.

Nonetheless, the entourage made quick work of the floor and regrouped to decide their next course of action.

"If we're being hunted, we should tread carefully," Charlie mused.

"We should," Lila concurred, "I think me and Trixie should take the lead when we're not searching going forward here."

A gleeful gasp came from the Croagunk in question, her poisonous hands forming into happy fists as her expression beamed. "Ohoho, you think so?!"

The others certainly seemed interested in Lila's reasoning for such, for several pairs of eyes (minus Veeko's) went slightly wide.

"I do," said the Jolteon, "Simply because- and I think it goes without saying- I'm the strongest one here, and Trixie's got a type advantage over basically every other Pokémon in this dungeon and she's, well, pretty aggressive. Astrid has the advantage too, but I think she and Charlie should stay at the back because they can surveil the easiest and watch our backs. That puts Arashi and Veeko in the middle, so in case we walk into any Petal Blizzards or that Lurantis runs up behind us, you two don't get wrecked. And also that way, we've got two of us that deal damage she's weak to on either end."

They considered it for a moment, and several nods travelled about their bunch. Trixie certainly wasn't protesting the arrangement, nor was Veeko. Arashi seemed a bit bummed about not being at the front anymore, but nonetheless accepted it on the grounds that indeed, a Petal Blizzard wasn't anything he looked forward to. Astrid was fine being the tailing guard, knowing she had easily the largest circle of vision with her swiveling head, and Charlie seemed totally content to help her as well.

Charlie took to walking midway through the next corridor they traversed as there appeared to be a sleeping Carnivine latched to the ceiling, and no one was of mind to disturb it. Astrid didn't see any company following after them, squeaking Fomantis or not, which was something of a relief. Yet, what wasn't an instant relief was not seeing a Pikipek immediately visible in the next room. The stairs, however, met them on the other side along with two more corridors, but of course they would be taking none of them quite yet.

"We're not leaving without searching this entire floor," said Lila, "And if that Lurantis shows up, we'll just have to fight her even if she _is_ crazy."

"Can we at least ask her what's wrong first?" inquired Arashi.

"If she'll answer us, sure," Lila didn't mind.

They set back to work, combing the floor for places that Rina might hide (or someone might hide her limp body).

Astrid parted a few fronds of a rather large fern, seeing if perhaps a little bird had nestled up inside them but finding nothing. Arashi peeked under a shrub, finding nothing but dirt underneath. The Rowlet strolled over to her comrade, careful to avoid what looked like an Oddish's crown.

"Hey, Arashi?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't think that Lurantis is another incident… do you…?"

He chuckled, shooting her a grin. "Do _you?_"

Her eyes darted around. "Ho-honestly, she struck me as more upset than… murderous… but I'm not the native here, so I could be wrong."

"Nah, I'm on the same page as you. I'm not sure what 'lesson' she wants to teach us, but those squeaking Fomantis probably had something to do with it. Really, I'm just surprised to see a dungeon-dweller _talking_, aha! You don't see that often!"

Astrid was more surprised to see Rina nowhere, but that much went without saying. Veeko was looking more perturbed by the minute at the absence of his friend.

"_Trixie!_" Charlie scolded from the ceiling.

"Agh! Whoops!"

Astrid looked over to see what the matter was, and realized it was the Croagunk inadvertently nudging against another Parasect's mushroom top. Both she and Lila prepared to attack it if it stirred, but oddly enough, it was holding perfectly still, which got a few funny looks from the entourage but no protests.

"… Eh? You sleepy?" Trixie inquired, eyeing it mischievously.

"Don't wake it if it is," Lila advised. "The less trouble we have fighting the residents, the easier we can find Rina."

Trixie shrugged, going back to looking about in the undergrowth.

Veeko stuck his head under a leaf, pulling it out and looking downtrodden. "Nnnn… I hope she's okay… This was such a _dumb_ idea…"

"Don't beat yourself up," Lila comforted, giving him a little scratch between the ears.

Charlie called the Jolteon over to illuminate another tangle higher up in the branches, which the Jolteon trotted over to do. There was still no little Pikipek to be seen in it.

There wasn't a little Pikipek to be seen in _any_ part of the room, they soon deduced. They chose the corridor on the left and trekked down it, taking up in the formation that Lila had laid out again.

"If this room doesn't connect to the one that the other corridor leads to, we'll go back and check that one next," declared Lila.

"Ha, at least we know where the stairs are when the time comes," Arashi happily remarked.

That certainly was a nice thing, Astrid had to admit. However, when she swiveled her head backwards to glance at the room they'd just left and saw two squeaking Fomantis running around, she was on guard again.

"Guys," she whispered. "They're back there looking… Keep your voices down…"

Charlie too noticed them around the same time. Veeko's ears slicked back again in hesitation, while the other three perked up on guard as well.

The Aipom hung from the ceiling in the same spot for a few moments to watch them, and Astrid kept her head turned backwards as she followed along. The Fomantises seemed to be talking to each other, squeaking and flailing their sickles while looking around in every direction.

"What're they doing?" Lila whispered back, shooting a glance over her shoulder.

"Talking," Charlie said back, keeping his voice down.

The Fomantises looked around a bit more before skittering away someplace out of sight.

"Now they're leaving," Astrid added, turning her head forward for a second.

"Good," whispered the Jolteon, keeping her eyes forward. "Keep your guard up, everyone."

That much went unsaid, as everyone was watching out for any sudden attackers. There were none, at least as they entered the next room, another two corridors branching off from it. Still no obvious sign of Rina met them.

"Sheesh, those little guys must be _peeved!_" Arashi exclaimed, albeit in a softer tone than was usual, hopping over to a nearby fern.

"Seriously, I'd like to know what they're on about too," Charlie concurred, looking around to decide which tangle to inspect first.

"M-maybe we can ask Lurantis…" Astrid mused.

"_Oh?!_ Ask me _what?!_"

The borderline hissing voice was back, immediately catching their attention as their heads jerked up to find the source.

The glowering light red eyes of the Lurantis looked them over from one of the corridors of the new room, her sickle arms held ready to strike. Two squeaking Fomantis scurried out from behind her, although they stayed at her side while stamping their feet and looking flustered.

The entourage certainly hadn't expected to be seeing her so soon, but still couldn't be very surprised about it. All six of them moved tightly together as the Lurantis took a few steps closer, the Fomantises staying behind her.

Arashi leaped out in front of their bunch. "Hey, look, we're not here to cause trouble-"

"_Save it,_" commanded their company, pointing a sickle straight at him with a slightly glowing tip, "I've got no time to entertain the questions of _trespassers._"

"We're just trying to find my friend!" Veeko yelped haplessly, looking terrified.

The Lurantis laughed sardonically, holding her sickles under her face in a gesture that _might_ have been playful in any other context. "Oh, I'm _sure_ you are. _Which_ one are you referring to?! The pathetic little bird, or the _other_ one?! Don't play dumb with me, you little brat! I know _well_ what's going on here!"

If her drop-in hadn't caught them off guard, her remark sure did. All eyes locked on Veeko, who in turn got even more wide-eyed.

"Veeko, did you come with someone else?!" Lila questioned, looking between her little brother and the Lurantis.

"N-_no!_" cried the Eevee, looking just as confused as he did frightened. "It was just me and Rina! I don't know who she's talking about!"

Astrid, however, began to get a bad feeling and cast her uncertain gaze to the Lurantis, hoping for clarification. "C-can you tell us _who_ this was? W-we just came for the Pikipek!"

"Of _course_ you just came for the Pikipek," the Lurantis shot back. "But don't you worry about _her_. She should worry about _you_, since I won't stand for this nonsense another minute! The Fomantis are upset that someone picked their favorite berries to snack on, but _I'm_ upset that this tangle has been disturbed by _no-gooders!_"

That answered one question, yet raised several more. The Fomantis were upset over the Oran berries, that much made at least some sense… but where Rina was, who had disturbed the forest and in what way, and why that had anything to do with the entourage was a whole other matter. If anything, it certainly solidified that they were _not_ messing with another crazy Pokémon like had occurred in Tranquil Tunnel, but nonetheless, the words coming out of her mouth certainly _seemed_ crazy.

"We don't know what you're _talking_ about!" Charlie protested.

"We just came here because my little brother and his friend wandered too far into the forest and ended up here!" Lila too objected, striding closer, "Did _they_ disturb you?! Because frankly, if two little Pokémon that can _barely_ stop being classified as toddlers scare you, then your issue is somewhere else!"

The Lurantis growled. "_I'm_ not scared of them, you miscreant," she shot back, pointing a sickle at Lila next, "Nor are the little ones hiding in the ground, so you can quit that innocent act like you're _just _here to rescue some kid. I know the game you're playing, and it won't work!"

"Guys, I don't think we can talk this one down," Trixie remarked flatly, shrugging while looking at the Lurantis.

"That's right!" cried the Bloom Sickle Pokémon, "So if you want me to ease up, you'd better _knock! Me! Out!_"

That declaration along with the glow her sickles took on the next moment dashed any hopes of a peaceful resolution. The Lurantis quickly looked over her shoulder and made her own squeaking sound to the Fomantis, causing them to dash away into the corridor they'd come from.

"Veeko, stay back and pay attention!" Lila likewise called to their own small and weaker company.

Trixie was the first to make a move, drenching her hand with poison and rushing at the Lurantis to sting her, and moments thereafter Lila's starry discs were added to the fray. They both connected fairly easily… straight into Lurantis' sickles, right as she crossed them in an X-Scissor and shrugged both hits off. The Swift dissipated almost instantly, and the attack flung Trixie backwards into the wall with a nice _thud_.

"Agh-!" the Croagunk grunted, sliding back onto the ground.

"What the-!" Charlie cried in alarm.

Astrid had her wings held out ready to fly closer for a Peck, but hesitated. Several glances went backwards to the corridor they had entered from, leading to the stairs… It seemed like a good way out, but no one took it. They needed Rina, and going back through would only lead them to another meeting with the angry one before them.

Their aggressor held her sickles up, several sunny orbs of yellow energy absorbing into her body. She chuckled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And if you want to escape with the stairs, go ahead and try! Just know_ I'll slice them down before you can leave!_"

The energy consolidated into one big glowing ball over her head, almost akin to a miniature sun, which elongated and flattened out into an outright glowing blade.

"Uh, guys…!" Arashi croaked.

They scattered as she brought the Solar Blade down into where they had been moments before, the attack leaving the ground singed in the areas it made contact and slicing clean through some of the branches forming the corridor's ceiling. They didn't much want to think about what would happen if it had made contact.

"_Arceus above!_" Astrid cried in surprise.

"Yep, _definitely_ no negotiating!" exclaimed Trixie.

Veeko's mouth practically hung open, no words coming out of the little Eevee.

In any case, the Lurantis was ready to go again, summoning up another flurry of pink petals that swirled around her. Astrid knew what was coming and wasn't much fazed by it, thus she took to the air and darted towards their attacker while Lila readied another Swift and the others shielded themselves as best they could in their surroundings. The glowing stars from the Jolteon targeted the petals that were shortly unleashed, mostly those around Veeko and Arashi.

Astrid, though, shrugged them off and dove down at the Lurantis, giving her a Peck on the head that elicited a slight cry of distress. Several more cries came from the entourage, most of them from a certain little Eevee hunkered down beneath a large fern branch with his ears pulled over his head.

"Ngh! Try that again!" the Lurantis angrily taunted, shooting the Rowlet a dirty look.

One sickle took a purple glow before Night Slashing at the one in the air. Astrid gave a hard flap of her wings to move out of its way, and it appeared the Lurantis would've attacked her again if she didn't have her attention grabbed by a certain Croagunk Poison Stinging her. Rather, the Lurantis turned to Trixie, but a Thunderbolt dropped on the Bloom Sickle Pokémon stalled her for a moment.

"Tch! Have some nerve, do you?!" their assailant hollered.

A certain Aipom dropped down from the ceiling, Tail Whipping her on his way down, to which the Lurantis turned and hit him with an X-Scissor hard enough to fling him back across the room.

"Agh!" cried Charlie, leaving a clear trail of flattened underbrush from the force.

"Charlie! Are you okay?!" called Arashi, looking between Charlie and the Lurantis.

The Aipom got back up, but was clearly having a harder time doing so. He shook himself off, a pained expression on his face. "I'm alright," was the less-than-enthusiastic reply.

The Lurantis clearly wasn't going to give them much time to recover, for the room filled with pink petals again. Astrid dove to Peck her again while Arashi practically turned into a blur for a Quick Attack, and while the Lurantis certainly noticed them, she wasn't dissuaded at all. A Petal Blizzard rained down on all of them (save for a little Eevee whose eyes only peeked out from beneath his fern branch), and Astrid dove down for her comrade on the ground in hopes of shielding the Froakie.

"Jeez! You just don't let up, do you?!" Lila remarked.

"_Thanks a ton,_" said Arashi, easily ducking into the Rowlet's wings.

A Swift from the Jolteon collided with their assailant's sickles when the Lurantis held them up to block her attack, but nonetheless she let out a frustrated cry and began charging sunlight again while glaring at Lila.

"Remind me to _never_ come back here!" Charlie cried upon seeing the Solar Blade's beginnings.

The ones closest to the Lurantis scattered, but Astrid yet again gave her comrade a glance. "Now might be a good time to use that orb!" she exclaimed as quickly as the words could leave her mouth.

Their assailant's eyes turned from irritated to perturbed at the mention of such. "Orb?!"

The Froakie was on it almost as fast as the Rowlet had said it, quickly reaching into the sack and removing the Slow Orb. Perhaps this target wasn't the Beast, but either way, _someone_ was going to get wrecked otherwise, and the entourage didn't want it to be them.

Arashi held the orb up, the Lurantis immediately turning her Solar Blade on him instead. However, it was to no avail, as much to her dismay, the orb emitted a flash of energy before dissipating to nothing, her movements slowing to half the speed they used to be. Even as she brought the sunlight blade down, Arashi was able to easily hop out of the way.

"_Perfect,_" Lila said with a smirk. "Take her out before it wears off!"

Astrid's attention was piqued a bit at the mention of it wearing off, but she accepted it nonetheless and figured that such was unavoidable. In any case, she flapped over and again and dove down at the Lurantis several times in rapid succession before an X-Scissor was directed her way, at which point she darted off in the opposite direction. Lila's Swift too elicited a (slow and drawn-out) cry of frustration, while Trixie gave her another Poison Sting. Petals began filling the room again, but the Lurantis summoned them too slowly for them to pose much of a threat.

Charlie, though, made his way to Arashi's side, still looking somewhat pained. "Hey, can I use one of those berries? I don't think I can take another attack from this one and stay conscious."

"Sure thing!" was the answer, Arashi quickly retrieving the item in question from the bag.

Charlie gulped it down as fast as he could, and instantly began looking more vibrant.

Their assailant, however, began charging more sunlight, albeit half as fast as she formerly would have been. The little flecks of sunlight that she gathered were practically creeping along as slow as a drunken Weedle.

"Hah, and this is _even better!_" Lila happily took notice thereof.

A Swift, a Poison Sting, and a Quick Attack all collided with the Lurantis at the same time. A Scratch did shortly thereafter, Charlie once again dropping down for a better point of contact. Their attacker's eyes furrowed in unspoken wrath, but she still stood there, gathering sunlight as fast as she could under the orb's influence. She seemed to be getting worn down, but she still wasn't letting up, and Veeko's eyes practically bulged out of his head from under his leaf at the display.

Astrid, however, wasn't too sure, giving the Lurantis a peck and then retreating, albeit with a cautious eye. "G-guys, are you _sure_…?"

"Sure of _what?!_" called a grinning Trixie, flexing her poisonous fingers, "We've got the advantage! Take it!"

The Croagunk and the Jolteon certainly were going to take it, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon getting stung by Trixie's toxic touch and Lila letting another Swift go. However, as the starry discs flew, the Lurantis' movements seemed to speed up, and the Solar Blade dropped much faster than the others were anticipating. Lila noticed it aimed for her, and her happy look faded.

"_Lila!_" Veeko cried in dismay from under his leaf.

The Jolteon went to dart away, albeit to little avail, before another round form collided with the blade of sunlight and rammed it off course. Astrid winced a bit as she did so, but the Solar Blade didn't feel _too_ bad. As strong of an attack as it was, and as strong as the Lurantis seemed to be, she definitely _felt_ it, but her own Grass-typing and the added benefit of the Flying-type negated much of the damage it would've caused otherwise. Still, some of her feathers had certainly seen better days, as did the ground the attack made contact with.

Lila let out a sigh of relief, while the Lurantis let out a cry of fury.

"Thanks, Astrid!" said the Jolteon.

"N-no problem," replied the Rowlet, shaking herself off and facing their assailant again.

The Lurantis had evidently had enough of them, for her sickles took on their sinister purple glow again and she rushed at them, letting out an angry hiss. Neither Astrid nor Lila had to think twice before bolting in opposite directions, the Night Slash barely making contact with them but getting close enough for discomfort.

"_You little wretches!_" their attacker shouted in rage.

More pink petals were summoned that instantly flew at those _not_ hiding themselves out of sight. The entourage gathered close together again, trying to shield each other and themselves by huddling tightly, all but the Rowlet and Croagunk looking pained.

"These Petal Blizzards are really taking a toll," Arashi uncertainly acknowledged, fishing out a berry and promptly shoving it in his mouth.

"This is ridiculous," said Charlie, wincing at a petal.

"We gotta end this," agreed Lila, shaking her head.

"You still got that seed, don't you?" asked the Croagunk, "The Blast Seed? Astrid can get close the easiest; why don't we let Astrid fly up there and give her a surprise?"

The Rowlet in question perked up, all eyes turning to her. Arashi retrieved the seed, while the petals about them came to a stop.

"Give it here," Astrid agreed.

Her comrade held it out and she carefully took it in her beak, being careful not to pierce the shell or damage it otherwise. She looked to the Lurantis, who appeared to be gathering more sunlight while her last attack faded and the entourage huddled.

"Talk all you want, I'm going to exterminate you!" their assailant declared with a glare.

Astrid's eyes narrowed in concentration and she flew at the Lurantis, not even regarding the charging Solar Blade that her friends scattered under the threat of. Their assailant's eyes narrowed too in wrath at the Rowlet, the sunlight elongating and flattening out, but as it did, Astrid crushed the seed in her beak and instantly felt why it was called a Blast Seed. The Lurantis seemed to notice too, for her face fell.

If eating the seed was what a Flamethrower felt like, Astrid became instantly glad she was not a Fire-type. She couldn't help but open her beak with the overwhelming heat she felt, and the second she did, a mighty burst of flames shot forth from her beak that practically dwarfed her little body and overwhelmed the Lurantis.

"_No-!_" the Lurantis cried while trying to shield herself with her sickles, but it was too late.

The gathered sunlight dissipated into nothing and Astrid flapped backwards in precaution, landing on the ground with her comrades but still keeping herself ready to go.

"Ehehe, that was _rad!_" Trixie exclaimed gleefully.

Charlie too smiled, but awkwardly. "Did… did we just see a Grass-type breathe _fire?_"

The little Eevee watching them from across the room evidently had the same sentiments, for his wide eyes looked confused as well.

"You did, and I am _not_ doing that again," the Rowlet declared softly, still on guard.

Nonetheless, the burst of flames cleared, leaving the Lurantis looking utterly drained, not to mention singed in a few places. A gasping sound came from her before she collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Still the entourage studied her to see if she would make a move, but she did not.

"… Well, seems like we won that one, aha!" Arashi exclaimed, instantly brightening up.

"Seems like we did," concurred Lila. "Let's go-"

"_Ngh…!_"

The sound of a pained grunt caught their attention, the Lurantis twitching a bit before struggling back to her feet. Again they were all on guard, a bit hesitant at the sight before them.

"You bunch of no-gooders," remarked the Lurantis, "I won't let you-…! _Ngh-!_"

She collapsed again with a pained cry. The entourage exchanged glances, but Arashi hopped straight over to her.

"Hey! Don't get _too_ close!" Charlie protested, running after him.

Astrid had to agree with the Aipom and too skittered after her comrade, Trixie and Lila soon following.

Yet it seemed that any threat the Lurantis posed had been nullified, for she merely studied them all with narrow eyes.

"Hey, no one's fighting anymore," Arashi said gently, "Clearly there's something more to this that we don't know. We just came here because Veeko, that little Eevee, and his friend Rina the Pikipek got separated after accidentally ending up here, but you're saying there's someone else that upset you. Who are you talking about?"

The Lurantis studied them a bit more, but finally eased up and replied, "… Alright. If you're _still_ questioning me after you've won instead of running off, I suppose I should believe you. I don't know what their name is, nor what kind of Pokémon they are. I'd never seen them before, but they've got a very strange energy to them, and they're _strong_."

Astrid's heart started to sink. She knew where this was going, and the others seemed to as well.

"It's rare that anyone comes here, given that this dungeon isn't exactly one with treasures hidden everywhere," the Lurantis continued, her voice still a slight bit hoarse, "All we want here is to live in peace. So when some of the wild ones come fussing to me about someone new in our domain, I take note of who they are."

"Wait, 'the wild ones?'" inquired Trixie, "You mean you're not a dungeon-dweller?"

"No, I very much am," replied the Lurantis, "You're assuming that non-feral ones always prefer living in towns and settlements, but I much prefer this tangle."

It was odd to most of them, but they accepted it.

Astrid, however, crept a bit closer, looking shy but more unsettled at what was on her mind. "U-um, if I may… W-was it a creature made out of cables and wires that you're referring to…?"

The Lurantis perked up- as much as she could in her battered state, at least. "Why, yes," she clarified, "Do _you_ know what that species is…?"

Astrid shook her head, her feathers ruffling. "I-it calls itself a beast, n-not a Pokémon. B-but it's attacked me before, a-and it beat up Nez, this r-really nice Nidoking, not too long ago…"

The light red eyes narrowed. "So it _is_ malicious."

Several nods were her answer.

She sighed. "Then forgive me for lumping you in with it. I see I was wrong. But, you must understand, it's not often that I see the wild ones _scared_ of anything. I can tell that someone is lost, or that someone is here for a legitimate purpose rather easily when I watch them, but _this_ one's objective I could not discern, so I took the path of caution instead."

"But what does that have to do with Rina? They weren't here together… were they?" Lila uncertainly inquired, still looking a bit puzzled.

"… No, they were," was the answer, immediately catching everyone's attention. "That creature, or beast I suppose, had her cradled in one arm and she wasn't fighting it at all, so I assumed they were friends. I also thought so because, well… have you noticed that these past few floors have been a little quieter? That's because the beast's Discharge knocked out every single Pokémon in whatever room they went into, so your other avian friend wouldn't have to lift a feather. We all resist the Electric-type here, but even so, that thing was frightening. I wanted to observe some more before I attacked, but it cleared the dungeon faster than I could track it. I assumed your arrival shortly thereafter had something to do with it, but clearly it does not."

The entourage all looked at each other, wide eyes and unamused faces displayed across every member, even the Eevee who was still tucked under a leaf. Astrid's feathers puffed out, her expression horrified, and Veeko scurried out of his hiding place to meet them.

"We have to go," Lila said quickly.

"Take care," said the Lurantis, regaining a bit of her strength, at least enough to get off the ground with.

The entourage turned and darted towards the corridor leading to the stairs, but Arashi stopped and looked back at their company. "Hey, what's your name? We can't forget about you!"

"Just call me Lurantis; I'm the only one here and I don't care for fancy titles," was the nonchalant answer.

"Thanks for your help, Lurantis!" he called back, hopping after the rest again.

Lurantis waved a sickle as they vanished down the corridor.

**Brushwood Tangle 7F**

"Oh, Arceus above! _Rina!_" Veeko cried, darting up to the Pikipek's side.

Thankfully, they could see the end of the dungeon very easily, and the last room was empty save for a lone Pikipek slumped over unconscious in the middle of it. The others were at her side in mere moments, too.

"Rina! _Rina!_" the Eevee cried, trying to shake her awake.

"Hey, little guy, take it easy," Trixie advised.

Arashi produced the Reviver Seed from the bag and held it to Rina's limp form, where it began to glow and emit a warm energy. The Pikipek began to stir, her eyes shooting open and her wings fluttering a bit, and shortly the seed dropped back on the ground with its power spent.

"Huh?! What happened?!" she exclaimed, looking about at all the faces over her. Then, jumping up and locking her gaze on the Eevee, "Sheesh, we had a _really_ stupid idea! We got knocked out, didn't we?!"

Veeko turned hesitant again. "E-er, w-well…"

"_You_ apparently did," clarified Lila, "Rina, we need you to tell us everything that happened."

The Pikipek didn't have much trouble doing so, attempting to straighten out some of her feathers as she replied, "Well, there was this Tangela, alright? And it attacked us! And Veeko managed to get away from it, but _I_ couldn't! I mean, I guess I Pecked it enough to where it got annoyed and let go of me, but then this _Parasect_ showed up! And I thought I was a goner, so I just started running down the tree hallways trying to find the stairs! I mean, I think I might've stepped on a few Oddish or something, but I don't really remember much after I got cornered with the Parasect on one side and then this Carnivine on the other. I just felt this jolt, went to sleep, and… well, here I am!"

She relayed the story in such an upbeat manner, and several others got funny looks. Trixie was grinning her shifty grin, and Arashi seemed interested, but the rest wore concerned countenances.

"So that thing knocked _her_ out too," noted the Croagunk.

"Huh? What thing?" Rina inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Alright, so we met this Lurantis that said she saw the beast that attacked Astrid and Nez carrying you around," Lila informed, "You don't remember that?"

"Pretty sure I would remember something like _that_," The Pikipek said nonchalantly. "I guess Trixie's right! If it knocked out Nez and Astrid, I guess it knocked me out too…" then, getting a bit more flustered, "W-wait a second! But…! W-_why?!_ I mean, I'm glad a Carnivine didn't eat me, but what does it want with _me?!_"

"C-can we get out of here? I've got a bad feeling about this," Astrid spoke quickly, nervously scanning their environment.

They obliged, leaving through the last stretch of tree hallway while keeping their guard up. The town was visible on the horizon, farther back than when they had entered the dungeon. The sandy path lead straight to it, the same set of cliffs that Astrid and Arashi had seen after exiting Tranquil Tunnel visible on the opposite side of the trees, and while there was no Beast among them, the Rowlet couldn't help but be wary as they walked along.

"Swear you won't tell on us, Lila," Veeko pleaded. "We won't do this again…"

"I swear," the Jolteon brushed him off. "Have you two learned your lesson?"

Two emphatic nods came from the Eevee and Pikipek.

Trixie, however, chuckled and traipsed up to Astrid's side, sticking an arm around her. "Now I see why Arashi wanted you as a teammate," she laughed, "You're sharp! You take those enemies _out!_"

"And she won't get us accidentally killed, either," Charlie chuckled.

"See?! I told you Team Starstorm was a great idea!" exclaimed Arashi.

Astrid blushed under her feathers. "Th-thanks, guys."

They didn't speak a word about what had happened once they made it back to town, much to Veeko and Rina's delight. Astrid couldn't help but wonder just how long Arashi could keep a handle on his excitement at a semi-legitimate mission, but he seemed to managing fine with just a grin and the occasional gleeful laugh, the both of them knowing exactly what it was about. (She also couldn't help but wonder if his parents would find out about the day's events one way or another, but she kept that to herself.)

However, still hidden from prying eyes once they left the dungeon, the entourage didn't know someone else had been watching since they had discovered Rina. It secretly wished a much smaller brigade had come… that much would have been manageable.

It would still have to wait for a better opportunity.


	11. Chapter 11: Found Out

"Mnnn…"

Light wasn't filtering in on account of the stone cavern's walls blocking it out, but Astrid could tell it was morning easy enough. A bit of rustling around on the floor below let her know that Arashi was up and stirring too, and Niles and Kaminari evidently had been awake some time before (as they always were) if the little trail of brightness under the curtain door was any indication.

"Astrid? That you?" came the somewhat drowsed voice of the Froakie.

"Y-yeah…" she said back, blinking and fluffing up a bit in her basket.

She carefully skittered out of her roost and onto the shelf, giving her wings a small stretch after having them snugly kept at her side all night. A little more rustling followed from the floor and the lantern overhead flicked on shortly thereafter as a result of Arashi hopping up to turn it on. The Froakie yawned and the Rowlet straightened out a few feathers that had become a bit out of place in her sleep before jumping down, the both of them looking just a bit sleepy still.

"You sleep alright…?" Astrid inquired softly, sticking her feathers back down.

"Yeah! You?"

She nodded.

A few more fluffs and stretches and they were trailing out through the curtain door to the front room where Arashi's parents were, the Greninja and Inteleon apparently having a conversation over something but pausing the second the younger ones emerged. In an instant, the Starstorm duo had two sets of eyes on them, which Arashi didn't seem to mind much but Astrid couldn't help but grow a bit unnerved at. A smallish box sat on the table which they seemed to be examining along with what looked like an unfolded letter next to it, thus perhaps there was some kind of information in it that was sensitive in some way and couldn't be repeated in the presence of anyone else… Such seemed a distinct possibility, but she had no way of knowing for sure.

"Morning, dears," Niles greeted them pleasantly while seemingly studying them at the same time.

"We need to talk," Kaminari cut straight to the chase, "Get over here, you two."

_That_ certainly unnerved the Rowlet, and while Arashi was still chipper as usual, he too seemed to grow a bit puzzled. Nonetheless, the two smaller figures scurried over and jumped onto the table, where Niles folded up the letter so they could not see it and Kaminari placed the lid over the box. Astrid wondered, just a bit, what was in them, but she certainly wasn't going to ask.

"What's up?" asked Arashi, studying the paper and the box curiously but not getting too close.

The Inteleon started grinning almost straight away, leaving them both a bit more puzzled as to why. They had been straight-faced a second before, and Kaminari _still_ was, but it was obvious to the two younger ones that something was going unsaid.

"Have you two been hiding anything lately?" Niles inquired, folding his hands, _clearly_ going for a specific answer and knowing more than he was letting on.

The instant the question left, Astrid and Arashi cast each other a glance, Astrid's eyes going slightly wide and Arashi blinking while saying nothing. They didn't have to say a word to each other, for they both knew the answer was a resounding 'yes,' but they had both agreed not to say anything to _anyone_. Perhaps they should have spilled the beans, or perhaps that was still a dumb idea that would get them into trouble, or perhaps it was already too late for such… Astrid fluffed out a bit, and Arashi opened his mouth for just a second before closing it again. Kaminari's eyes narrowed at them, while Niles still only smiled.

Nonetheless, at almost the exact same time…

"We have!" Astrid blurted out, quickly looking down at the surface underneath her feet.

"Nope! Not at all!" Arashi brushed it off with a grin.

Just as fast, they were casting each other dismayed looks. Niles chuckled, and Kaminari looked incredulous.

"_We swore!_" Arashi protested to his friend.

"They already know!" Astrid objected.

"Yeah, 'cause you just _told_ them!"

"No, 'cause they _figured us out!_"

An unhappy look was all that came next from each of the younger ones.

"Astrid's right; the jig is up," said Kaminari, crossing her arms. "Why don't you go ahead and tell us what's happened in your own words? Don't try to cover it up."

Astrid fluffed out a bit, completely unsure of where to begin, and Arashi gave an uncomfortable laugh, the two of them sharing a glance again.

"E-er, w-we…" Astrid stammered.

"… We formed an expedition team," Arashi fessed up, grinning awkwardly.

The Rowlet gave her comrade a sideways glance before looking back down at the table, still avoiding the eyes of his parents. "W-what he said."

"And?" Niles gently pressed.

"We're called Team Starstorm," the Froakie continued, "We filled the papers out a few days ago, but we didn't want to tell you because of the thing with the beast and Nez getting beat up."

"_And?_" the Inteleon kept prodding.

Astrid wanted to sink into her feathers. This was not going well, and it probably _wouldn't_ go well if it _kept_ going. The team formation was bound to get out at some point anyway, but the direction she thought Niles was going with his inquiries… she wasn't sure how to approach the subject.

"And what?" Arashi, however, deflected, trying his best to hide his awkward denial. "That's it! We formed a team and we didn't wanna tell you, but now you know!"

"Are you _sure?_" Kaminari said to the contrary. "What about Rina and the beast?"

Alarm crossed both Astrid and Arashi's face, the latter still smiling but looking absolutely floored. Awkward glances were exchanged from both of them.

"Y-you know about _that_, too?!" the Froakie exclaimed.

"Of course we do," Niles coolly remarked, "Perhaps my eyes don't allow me to see through walls like a Luxray, but I certainly saw you venturing to Brushwood Tangle. Normally I would think nothing of it since you two have already cleared a dungeon alone, but Veeko looking scared and not having his friend with him opened up a lot of possibilities. Let's just say, after you got back to town with Rina, I ended up having a _very_ interesting conversation with a certain Lurantis."

The Rowlet and the Froakie were both looking very uncomfortable. Astrid couldn't help but mentally kick herself, and Arashi apparently was regretting his decisions too if his wide eyes and drooping eyelids were any indication. Astrid wasn't sure how else she might have handled the team formation if life had an 'undo' button, but she certainly would have been pressing it with regards to the Brushwood Tangle incident. It likely would've landed Veeko and Rina in trouble, sure, but she couldn't help but think things would have gone a million times better if she had simply gone to Niles and Kaminari or even Nez. Yet there they were, getting busted and looking suspicious anyway.

"Well, the secret is out now, ahaha…~" Arashi's voice trailed off, the Froakie shrugging uncertainly. "So what gave away the team formation then…?"

"I heard about that one the day you did it," Kaminari answered, "And why you thought I _wouldn't_ know is beyond me. I went to the sheriff's office to get information about another outlaw to apprehend, and Deputy Rucio mentioned my son and his friends stopping by."

Astrid and Arashi both deflated, but the other two eased up a bit.

"Team Starstorm is no surprise, nor are we upset at either of you for it," Niles eased them just a bit, "A bit of a heads-up would have been nice, however, especially given the context with which you kept it to yourselves."

"But you should've told us about what you heard in the tangle whether you swore or not," Kaminari said on the other hand, "Whatever you went in for is your own business, but when Lurantis told you about the beast having been there and that it had done something with Rina, you shouldn't have kept that to yourselves."

The two getting scolded deflated even more, Astrid trying her best to sink into her feathers. Whether the little avian was succeeding or not, she felt the gazes of both Arashi's parents on her next, and she tensed up even more.

"_Especially_ you, Astrid," Kaminari chided, "That thing has already indicated it's got intentions involving you."

"Perhaps you don't understand just how valuable you are, and that's fine," Niles gently noted, "But that's the kind of information you tell two Pokémon that are trying to protect you. Remember that next time this happens, if it does happen again."

Astrid nodded. "I'm s-sorry. It won't happen again."

The Inteleon gave her a gentle pat and she eased up.

"We're all clear here, yes?" Niles inquired, looking between both her and Arashi.

The two younger ones nodded.

Kaminari set the folded up letter on top of the box and nudged it towards the Froakie and Rowlet, noting, "In that case, Reina sent Lucy to drop this off for you earlier. I'm sure you'll like the contents."

Arashi unfolded the paper and set to scanning it over, almost instantly breaking into an even bigger grin than usual and his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. Astrid grabbed the box's lid with her beak and nudged it open, two sparkling badges sitting atop two folded black scarves instantly grabbing her attention. Their rounded centers sparkled in a pale chrome color and what appeared to be two wing-shaped golden ornaments branched off of the sides, and closer inspection revealed "Team Starstorm" engraved on the top half of the center piece with their names on the half below on their respective badges. If nothing else, it was certainly… shiny and official-looking. Arashi seemed more entranced with them when Astrid uncovered them, and put the letter down to hop over.

"Ahhhh, this is _great!_" the Froakie cried blissfully, lifting the badge bearing his name out of the box and looking it over, "We're officially official!"

Both of his parents seemed amused at his enthusiasm.

Astrid gave a glance to the letter and likewise scanned it as well, quickly deducing that it was the obligatory "Congratulations, expeditioner!" letter that likely came with every box of the sort. She'd already read the myriad of pages and fine print at the sheriff's office; most of the page before her wasn't too important.

Her comrade shortly set to tying one of the scarves around his neck and pinning the badge to it, his bubbles slightly obscuring the scarf but the badge clearly sticking out. Astrid eyed hers for a second, attempting to figure out how best to put it on- her round body left seemingly no area to tie it that it would not fall off of seconds later. Kaminari solved that issue by having her stick one wing out while the Greninja tied it in place and fastened the badge on. A bit of adjusting it with her beak made it sit comfortably in place.

Underneath the scarves and badges was a much more official-looking bag than the sack they had been carrying around (and also with a strap across it for ease of carrying it as one liked). Arashi was quick to don it as well.

"Hah! This looks even more official!" the Froakie cried happily, looking himself over with a smile.

"Hey, let me try it too," Astrid asked softly, the edges of her beak curled up just a bit in a grin.

Arashi did so, slipping it back off. It wasn't near as easy, but the Rowlet also found that she could angle it so as to hold the strap under one wing and let the other side rest over her other wing to carry it about, then turn her head backwards and open it with her beak. Nonetheless, her partner seemed far more eager to tote it around on account of looking 'more official,' and she certainly wasn't going to protest if he wanted it that badly. She rather liked the badge, but 'looking official' wasn't any particular concern of hers.

"I've still yet to hear back from the Expedition Coalition about you, but I suppose they're keeping busy these days," Kaminari noted, looking at the Rowlet while Arashi fixed the bag up again.

Astrid nodded. "Th-they seem like a busy bunch…"

Arashi couldn't help but giggle at the mention of his idols, breaking into an even bigger grin.

The usual morning procedures went by fairly quickly, and Arashi seemed happily abuzz the entire time. The two youngsters set off for the town, but before traipsing up the stone steps, the Froakie hopped over to the sea's edge and struck poses while admiring his reflection on the water, which greatly amused Astrid as she watched. Her comrade beckoned her over too, and despite how ridiculous she thought it looked, she obliged after Arashi gave her a few playful whines of "Oh, come on! It's fun!" or a slight variation thereof. Nonetheless, she too started striking poses, most of which consisted of her merely turning slightly to one side and sticking a wing or a foot out while her comrade was much more extravagant in his mannerisms.

However, when they hit one where Astrid had one wing out behind her comrade and the other wing angled like a waving statue while Arashi had one finger in the air as if he were about to deliver an oration, the Rowlet got a slightly mischievous idea…

… And shoved her comrade forward into the water, getting a surprised cry in return.

She quickly skittered backwards as if nothing had happened, Arashi quickly jumping up and shooting her a devilish grin with all of his limbs still slightly submerged.

"Did you just try to prank me~?" the Froakie chirped, studying her. "What was that, revenge for making you pose with me?"

"Looks like I succeeded, and yes," Astrid chirped back.

"So let me get this straight," Arashi mused with a grin, hopping out, "Your best idea was shoving a Water-type into the _water?_ Y'know, the stuff I _live_ next to?"

"No one said it was a _good_ idea," Astrid playfully shot back.

Arashi didn't seem fazed at all and simply squeezed a bit of water out of his scarf, but the next moment, when Astrid wasn't expecting a counterstrike, one of his hands shot out and shoved her over as well. The Rowlet too let out a surprised cry while sticking her wings out to flap them and keep steady, but it was too late and she fell face-first into the water.

The Froakie too hopped backwards as if nothing had happened while she picked herself up and fluffed her feathers to shake off.

"Now we're even," Arashi remarked playfully.

"Y-yeah, I deserved that," Astrid chuckled.

She squeezed her scarf out as well and Arashi squeezed out the bag, though their new team equipment was left just a bit damp. It was no matter; it would dry off soon enough and dungeon-crawling would likely dull their newness at some point anyway.

They set off across the sand and up the stone steps to town shortly thereafter, though not before Arashi struck one last pose. Nothing seemed amiss in town, for other Pokémon were up and carrying on about their day. Nez was out and about and waved at them the moment they stepped into sight, then promptly seemed to notice their new accessories and perked up.

"Oi, you two! Are those badges?!" the Nidoking called, getting a grin.

"They sure are, Nez!" Arashi cried happily in return, hopping towards the spiked one asking.

Astrid flapped along after her comrade, and the Nidoking too took a few steps in their direction with a gleefully inquiring look on his face. Nez knelt down to look them over, and Arashi was certainly happy to show off their insignia. Astrid merely held one wing out to show that they matched.

"By the gods, ya've done it!" the Nidoking cried, gently running one claw along the inscriptions on the badges. "Aye, I always knew ya were gonna do it someday, Arashi! And a fine decision you've made too, Astrid!"

Both the Froakie and Nez gave a happy laugh, the Nidoking holding his arms out and Arashi immediately jumping into one to give the larger spiked creature a hug. Astrid was puzzled for only a moment, but when that moment ended, likewise did the same as her comrade. Nez's claws playfully scruffed them both, but despite their threatening appearance, were gentle enough to not leave a single scratch. Astrid had to admit, amnesia or not, this was _probably_ the sweetest creature she had met in either of her lives even if she had no memories of her former.

Nez giggled, glancing between the two smaller figures. "So does this mean that, one day when Team Starstorm is famous, I can brag about knowing the both of ye and stick fancy posters of ya on my wall?"

"Of course you can, Nez!" Arashi laughed.

Astrid would've blushed had her feathers not been in the way.

The Nidoking turned them both loose with another happy laugh. "I would say, 'Make Uncle Nez proud,' but I know ya will.~"

"Give us a little time and we definitely will," Arashi gladly affirmed.

Nez gave them one last little wave as they scurried off.

Lila was sitting out in front of her house along with Charlie, while Veeko appeared to be getting a talk from an Umbreon on the front steps. A Flareon and a Heracross just off of the steps double-checked the contents of a bag that the Heracross carried before they set off down the path towards the edge of town, Astrid guessing that they had some mission to attend to.

Nonetheless, Lila quickly noticed them, then noticed their insignia just as quick and nudged Charlie, who also took it in.

"You guys are looking a little fancy there," the Jolteon mused.

"Aren't we?" Arashi replied with a smile.

"Thank heavens Trixie isn't here to see that; she'd never stop laughing," Charlie remarked.

Lila strolled closer and studied the badges, tracing the outlines of them with one paw. She started grinning, apparently taking a liking to them as well. Arashi definitely didn't mind.

"Hm? Why isn't Trixie here? Did something happen?" Astrid inquired.

"She's off running an errand with her dad," Charlie answered. "But hey, did you guys see what happened on the bulletin board earlier this morning?"

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other- they had not. Arashi definitely looked intrigued, and Astrid was too, albeit moreso with the possible connotations of what, precisely, had happened.

"Just come see for yourselves; that's the easiest way to show you," Lila said, standing up and strolling off towards the board.

Astrid and Arashi followed, the Rowlet slightly uncertain but her comrade looking curious. Lila and Charlie didn't seem to be too concerned, thus Astrid decided that likely nothing was amiss, and perhaps Trixie had merely pinned up a drawing of a Bewear breaking a Pachirisu's neck for the world to see. That, or perhaps a particularly unintelligent outlaw had corrected some slight piece of misinformation on a wanted poster and inadvertently turned themselves in.

However, she discovered that such was not the case, and although being concerned would likely do their bunch in particular no good, things were not exactly pleasant.

Charlie's tail-hand pointed up at none other than Salem's poster, but it was different than before. Instead of a Fennekin, the picture was split into two halves and had the image of both a Braixen and a Delphox on either side, and the cautioning text had also been changed around.

"Highly elusive, highly difficult to apprehend. Current stage of evolution unknown; is not in the first-stage. Reported to use techniques and abilities not innate to species or evolutionary line. Utilizes strong attacks and foul play, also commonly blindsides targets and slips away through a flame shield to discourage pursuit. Victims commonly suffer grievous bodily harm and memory loss. Works within a syndicate; current status and relationships of subordinates unknown. Current number of subordinates unknown. Only known underling is a Charizard who has also escaped apprehension thus far; suspected to also be in contact with an aquatic species. Also suspected to temporarily utilize mind control on some victims for nefarious purposes. Motive is unknown. Whereabouts unknown. ABSOLUTELY NOT TO BE PURSUED ALONE. UTILIZE EXTREME CAUTION IF ENCOUNTERED."

To the side of hers, however, was another one, although the contents of it couldn't be ascertained. All that remained were a few singed edges of the page around the pins holding it in place. Some ashes were still on the ground but had mostly been blown away, and on the board behind where the poster would have been was a burn mark as if somebody had spit an ember straight into it.

Clearly, someone did not like being found out, but that someone's identity was anyone's guess.

"Sheesh! There's more than just her now?!" Arashi exclaimed. "Y'know, her shenanigans would be over in ten seconds if Giratina just showed up out of nowhere and dragged her to the Distortion World, or if Regigigas went and Heavy Slammed her across the continent! Now _that_ would be some good news!"

"If that happened, Arashi, they would probably kill more Pokémon in collateral damage," Charlie remarked, nonetheless getting a slight grin at the idea.

Somehow, Astrid too doubted that her comrade's idea would work flawlessly, but the Rowlet was a bit more intent on the burned remains next to Salem's words of caution than anything else. "S-say… Who did _this_…?" she inquired, pointing one wing up at the singed edges.

"We don't know; it was just like that when everyone saw it this morning," Lila answered, shrugging.

"A-ah…" Astrid accepted it, though she still couldn't help but want a solid answer.

Solid answers… those seemed to be incredibly elusive as well. If anything, Astrid hoped she could obtain at least _some_ answers with what the badge on her wing granted her, but that too was a path waiting to be explored. She'd still just have to wait and see.

"So," mused Lila, "since you two are a team now, are you gonna go on any missions yet?"

The Starstorm duo exchanged glances again, Arashi looking excitedly eager while Astrid wasn't particularly fazed one way or another.

"What do you think, Astrid?!" the Froakie asked gleefully, clapping his hands together, "What should we do?"

She thought for a second, then replied, "I don't think we should go yet."

Arashi blinked, still grinning but looking rather taken aback as if her answer had just dashed all of his hopes. Charlie and Lila shot each other silent and subtle grins at his sudden pause.

"Not because I don't want to or because we can't do it, though," the Rowlet clarified, "You know how it was the last few times? In Tranquil Tunnel, you were hopping funny for a floor before we found that berry in the rocks, and in Brushwood Tangle, we used all of our items but one Oran berry, and most of those came from the dungeon itself. If we get caught somewhere again, I don't want to go in completely unprepared and us end up relying on luck to get through, especially if someone else shows up wanting to start a fight."

Arashi eased up, relaxing at her explanation. "You do have a good point," he acknowledged.

"Listen to her, Arashi," Charlie chuckled, "She's trying to keep you from accidentally getting killed!"

The Froakie laughed, sticking an arm around his comrade. "You're right! Our synergy is perfect, aha!" then to Astrid, "Okay, here's what we'll do! There's a place called Verdant Meadow a little ways to the west- about the same distance away as the sheriff's office, but in the opposite direction. It's not a dungeon, but it's in feral territory, so we _might_ get attacked, but they're mostly small Bug-types so it should be fine. We'll go there and gather what we can find, and _then_ we can run a mission tomorrow!"

It was agreeable to the Rowlet, and she nodded.

Arashi turned to Charlie and Lila. "You guys wanna come too?"

The Aipom and Jolteon didn't have much better to do either, and shortly, they were off.

* * *

Even if the inhabitants were wild, Astrid could only describe the surroundings as 'utterly innocuous.' Some ways past Brushwood Tangle and in a somewhat flat area amidst the cliffs surroundings much of their terrain sat the meadow, and within it was a myriad of bright flowers on the ground and several big trees, some of them with things growing on them (though most without). A few Caterpie crept around and a few Kakuna hung from the branches, but they largely kept to themselves. A Roselia here and there cast them a glance, but didn't seem bothered enough by the presence of outsiders to do much of anything. The ones visiting certainly weren't going to start anything with them, either.

The air felt _fantastic_. All of the lush greenery gave the meadow a very vibrant feel, as if its inhabitants were incapable of being sad. Astrid quite enjoyed it too, the grass under her feet feeling very soft and comfortable to stroll around on. Charlie had already shinnied up a tree and found a chestnut to munch on, leaving Lila to fuss at him to drop her one on the ground below on account of not being able to see clearly where they grew from her position.

"Are we looking for anything specific?" Astrid inquired of her teammate.

"Well, if you can find an Oran plant, that'd be _great_," Arashi noted. "But _that_ one-"

Her comrade pointed to a rather small plant with blue flowers growing in little bunches, a spiky red fruit mixed among the blooms in some places.

"Is that…?" Astrid studied them curiously, taking a few steps closer.

"Hm?" Arashi asked, following along behind her. "Do you know what these are?"

She tilted her head sideways, still looking them over. Something told her she wouldn't like eating one, but where that feeling was coming from, she couldn't place. "… That's a berry, right? A spicy one?"

Arashi seemed surprised, grinning nonetheless. "… Yeah, that's a Spelon berry," he answered, "They're supposed to feel a lot worse than eating a Blast Seed, and without the positive effect of breathing fire, too- though you'll definitely _try_," then, studying her, "How did you know they were spicy? Did you eat one before you wound up on the beach or something?"

"… No, they just… caught my attention, I guess," Astrid too was a bit puzzled, then making sure Charlie and Lila were out of earshot, "They look familiar, but… in a vague sort of way. Kinda like how I just knew I wasn't supposed to be a Rowlet, but I can't remember anything about being a human, except that I _am_ one."

Arashi nodded. "Ha, maybe you tried to eat one before your memories went blank and _that's_ why you recognize them," he jested, then in a bit more of a serious but still amiable voice, "So that means you come from a world where humans are still alive, Pokémon exist, and berries grow. Sounds like an interesting place! Maybe if we ever run into Palkia or Hoopa, they can show us!"

When her comrade put it that way… it certainly sounded like a better start to getting answers, although she had to doubt that Palkia or Hoopa would make themselves available in any way that she and her comrade could access.

"All that is to say, don't pick Spelon berries unless you just _really_ like feeling a burning sensation in your throat," Arashi mused.

Astrid certainly didn't intend to; as far as she was concerned, they were going to stay right there on the plant.

Lila, on the other hand, looked up at Charlie, sticking her front paws on the trunk of the tree in a very pathetic attempt to climb up it even just a short distance. The Aipom smiled down at her, lounging without a care on the bend of a branch.

"C'mon! I can't see any of them up there that look ready! Can't you help a sister out?!" Lila called, somewhat joking on one hand but actually wanting a chestnut on the other.

"We aren't in a dungeon; you want some, you have Swift," the Aipom playfully brushed her off.

"I've also got Thunderbolt!"

"And we both know you wouldn't Thunderbolt me!"

"Oh, get real, I- _ow!_"

The spiky shell of one fell down from Charlie's branch, dropped by his tail-hand straight onto Lila's snout. The Jolteon jumped back from the trunk and brushed her nose off with one paw, while Charlie only watched with a grin from his perch.

"There you go!" the Aipom sarcastically called down to her. "Now, why don't you- yeeEEEeeeh!"

A Spinarak webbed down from further up, evidently not all that happy with someone yelling down from its tree. Charlie recoiled almost as soon as he saw it and lost his place on his branch, quickly tumbling down through the trees before landing on the ground rather ungracefully. Lila started grinning as soon as she saw the display, and Arashi too couldn't help but be amused. Astrid merely blinked.

"That's what you get!" the Jolteon cried, "That's what you get for not helping your friend!"

Charlie brushed himself off, sighing but looking haplessly playful all the same. "Alright, you win."

The Spinarak dropped down, hissing at them in disapproval, but a Swift and a Bubble shut it up fairly quickly.

The youngsters stayed there for quite some time, looking around for things that might be useful and stowing them in the bag if any came up. Of course, their search was also interspersed with occasional random puffs of pollen to an unsuspecting friend's face, and the occasional sound of a Graveler someplace further off giving another wild one a Rock Throw if it stepped too close.

If there was a cause for worry, they couldn't see it. If it lurked further away, they paid it no mind.


	12. Chapter 12: The Elusive and the Lost

Dusk was beginning to set in by the time the youngsters started home, the sky covered in shades of pink and orange with stars only just beginning to glitter in some areas further off. The bag wasn't full (mostly on account of the majority of the gathered chestnuts having been gulped down as soon as they were picked), but it certainly wasn't empty for the seeds and berries inside. A few Spearows fussed amongst themselves as they went to roost, and the Roselias likewise seemed to be heading someplace else to hunker down as the youngsters strolled by.

"Three Oran berries, a Pecha, a Heal Seed, and… five chestnuts," Arashi counted the items stowed away before latching the bag closed again, "That's a pretty good stash!"

"You think we're set?" Astrid inquired, her head swiveling to the side to give him a glance.

"Yup! For starting, anyway," her comrade replied, "Some of the _really_ high-ranking teams don't leave without a bag full of Reviver Seeds and Oran berries and things like that, but that's really only necessary in the really long and dangerous dungeons. We're not _quite_ that good yet, aha!"

His remark earned him a few funny looks.

"'Quite?' You literally just started," Lila jested.

"Arashi, I hope you never give up on your dreams," Charlie laughed.

The Aipom and Jolteon got a few playful bubbles to their faces, which didn't cause them any trouble. Astrid tried to imagine just what a dungeon requiring all those healing items would entail… and promptly decided that indeed, that was not their calling yet.

Still the Rowlet was scanning the area as they walked back- not only for the Beast, but also for any nocturnal creatures that may have just been waking up and decided that her bunch looked tasty. Thankfully, she could catch no glimpses of the sort in either case, at least as far as she could discern. She was still sure regardless that, if a Honchkrow or Noctowl decided to start something, Lila's Thunderbolt would probably down it faster than anyone else present could hope to.

When the town's perimeter came into view, they could clearly see Nez and a Toxicroak- which Astrid deduced must have been Trixie's father from his gigantic vocal sac- having a chat and seeming to laugh at something spoken between them, a certain Croagunk they knew standing there rather indifferently but seeming to notice when more figures came into view.

"Hi, Trixie!" Arashi called amiably, giving her a wave.

She exchanged a quick word with the Toxicroak and sprinted towards them, quickly getting wide-eyed when she came closer and noticed Arashi and Astrid's badges.

"Oh, my god!" she cried, jokingly clutching at her chest and pretending to do a double-take, "You two look _snazzy_, ehehehehe~! Minus the team name, of course!"

Arashi spit a few bubbles at her too, which only made her cackle some more as their little entourage strolled along back to town.

"Where have you lot been, eh?" the Croagunk asked.

"Verdant Meadow," Arashi answered, "We gathered some supplies from what the wild ones didn't snack on. Team Starstorm officially begins operations tomorrow!"

"Y'know I have faith in you guys, but if you get wiped on your first _official _outing, I'm gonna laugh," Trixie jested.

More bubbles from the Froakie. The Croagunk gave him what _would_ have been a Poison Sting had there been any substance to it, but in any case, a few sparks from Lila made them both cut it out while Charlie just shook his head.

"What about you, Trixie?" asked Lila, "What did you get up to?"

The Croagunk shrugged. "Eh, not a whole lot. My gramps got half of his hutch uprooted by a feral Excadrill with _terrible_ direction, and me and the old man were just helping him move stuff back where it should be… because _apparently_ gramps' psychic powers are all dried up these days. Eh, I just blame it on him being too freaking pretty."

"Your grandpa's a Gardevoir, right?" asked Arashi.

Trixie nodded, then mimed a puking gesture with a dismal countenance. "I mean, being doomed to evolve into something frilly and elegant in both of your possible evolutions is bad enough, but when he could've picked Gallade instead and at least had swords for elbows? C'mon."

"Now, now, some Pokémon like being pretty," Lila mused to the contrary.

Trixie shrugged. "Well, if I was born a Ralts, I'd be begging the gods to change me into something else, preferably something that can evolve into having poisonous spiky hands."

Arashi gave her a smirking look. "Hey now, Rozen of the Expedition Coalition is all cutesy and pretty too! There's more to life than poison and spikes and being scary, y'know!"

The one he protested to didn't seem so convinced, for Trixie's look turned shifty and she shot him a diabolical grin back. "Ehehe, I'd still beg to differ~"

Arashi gave her a playfully pointed look at one of his idols getting made fun of, but didn't bother giving her a bubble spray. The Croagunk giggled happily to herself, not a care in the world, while Charlie rolled his eyes at their antics.

Nez gave them a happy wave as he always did when he laid eyes on them, then went back to laughing along with the Toxicroak. They could hear their conversation as they strolled closer.

"I mean, I was just planning to Sucker Punch it into oblivion if it showed back up, but I guess it finally found its way back home, ehehehe!" laughed the Toxicroak.

Nez chuckled. "I would have just offered it a cup of tea or two and hoped for the best, gwahaha!"

"Yeah, and then it'd probably invite the rest of its friends and you'd end up with a herd of Drilbur and Excadrill looking at you!"

"And I wouldn't mind one bit!"

Astrid could only assume they were talking about the stray Excadrill uprooting a hutch. She had to imagine a colony of Excadrill and Drilbur popping up out of a hole in Nez's floor and the Nidoking fixing them all cups of tea, which… wasn't too far off from what she would have otherwise expected. Either that, or Nez gently asking them if they had become lost and _somehow_ pointing them in the right direction without digging another tunnel.

The Nidoking gave the younger ones a glance and mused to his company, "Say, Jax, did ya hear about what Astrid and Arashi did? They went and formed a team! We've got two budding star expeditioners here, I tell ya!"

"They didn't like my idea for a team name as much as you did, Dad," Trixie remarked.

Her father grinned, looking Astrid and Arashi over. "Hah, isn't that something! Those badges look _nice!_ I tried getting one myself way back in the day, but me and my buddies got a little turned off at the 'no nefarious deeds' clause, ehehe~!"

Nez laughed, giving Jax a playful shove. "Oh, you aren't _that_ bad! You just talk about tying fifteen wild Furrets together and setting them loose, but we all know you wouldn't!"

Trixie, however, gave the other youngsters a smirk. "See? Even my old man is useless poser~"

A playful whack from Charlie's tail-hand shut her up.

Nonetheless, the Toxicroak didn't seem to mind her tease and turned his gaze to her, saying, "C'mon, Trixie, we should get back home before your mother starts to wonder what's holding us up," then to the Nidoking, "Nice chatting with you, Nez!"

They all exchanged more waves as the two Toxic Mouth Pokémon made their way off.

Nez grinned down at the ones left. "Nothing come jumping out at you, yeah? Was your trip alright?"

Charlie got a bit of an uncomfortable look and awkwardly mused, "J-just a Spinarak…~"

Lila too started grinning at the recollection, but the slightly perturbed look that Charlie gave her kept her from relaying the incident and instead she grinned down at the ground.

Nonetheless, seeing as dusk was getting close, the youngsters followed suit shortly after and headed in, Arashi still beaming happily all the way down to the water's edge and as he and Astrid skittered in through the curtain door on the beach.

* * *

Still, later that night…

_*Astrid…?*_

There it was again- completely incorporeal, yet gracing her senses all the same. Seemingly from nowhere, the blindingly bright rays of light she'd seen before emanated, and still, something from within them seemed to peer back, but the silhouette was too obscured to properly make out.

Nonetheless, the Rowlet wasn't going to waste time. _* Who are you?*_ she inquired, not fully wanting to answer its questioning. Who or _what_ this was, she didn't know, but it already knew more than she was comfortable with.

_*I am-*_

The voice cut out like static. It was stronger than last time, but still not completely stable, almost as if she were listening to it through a wall instead of directly.

Something akin to a mild jolt came from it. _*Ngh…! Apologies, it's hard to keep this link up under such stress…!*_

_*Stress…?*_

_*Yes. It's-*_

It cut out once again. Whatever sounds were coming from the obscured entity, she couldn't make them out. _*Sorry. I can't hear you very well.*_

Another garbled sound cut out, followed by _*Your judgment has been fairly accurate up to this point, and I am glad you're safe. However, they are tailing you, and-*_

What came next was too faint for her to hear. Still, at the mention of being 'tailed,' she certainly perked up and tried to listen, even if it was in vain. The sounds rattled off, but none of them coalesced into a coherent train of thought as far as she could hear.

Garbled or not, she still wanted answers. _*Tailing me?! Who's tailing me?! Is it that creature?! I already know about that one if that's the case!*_

_*Well, yes, but there's-*_

It faded. The bright rays seemed to falter for a second too, followed by dead silence.

_*Hey! Are you alright? What's going on?* _Astrid called, or at least, attempted to.

_*No, there's- NO-!*_

The rays were gone, and so was the voice coming from within them.

Yet again, her eyes shot open and scanned the room she roosted in, searching for any remnant of what she'd just seen or any trace of the voice. She couldn't find any, just her comrade fast asleep on his cushion and the damp darkness of the cavern.

"A-are you still there…?" she whispered softly, not really expecting an answer and not sure who she might get one from.

… Nothing.

The Rowlet fluffed up back into her roost and settled down. She knew there was no use asking questions of someone that wasn't there, but she certainly wished she'd had more time to do so. It seemed like it was actually going somewhere _successful_.

… She'd be having conversations about this in the morning, she was sure.

* * *

When she began stirring the next morning, she didn't forget to, either.

"Astrid? You awake?" came the voice of her comrade below, the Froakie rustling around on the floor.

"Yeah," she softly replied, carefully stepping out of her basket onto the shelf.

Arashi hopped up to turn the lantern on and let out a yawn, while Astrid rearranged a few stray feathers before jumping down.

"It happened again," she mused.

Arashi gave her a curious look. "Hm? What happened?"

"The voice," she answered, "I could hear it better. It knows the beast is out looking for me, too."

That certainly piqued his attention and he hopped closer, sticking a hand on her wing. "Arceus above," he mused, "And you don't know who this is, do you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's familiar, but… still in a way I can't quite place."

"Are they friendly?"

She looked down at the ground. "I… don't know. They _seemed_ to be, and they still seem to be in _pain_, but…"

She ruffled up a bit, a sigh escaping her beak. Arashi gave her wing a pat.

"You wanna talk to Mom and Dad about it? They might know something," Arashi inquired.

The Rowlet nodded without a shred of hesitation on the matter. "Yeah. If it keeps happening, there's a reason for it."

Both she and Arashi trailed out of the room and to the main one, where the Greninja and Inteleon were up and stirring as always. Kaminari sorted the contents of a bag and Niles combed the details of several papers rather intently, both of them giving the youngsters a glance.

"Morning, dears," Niles chirped.

"Did you sleep okay?" Kaminari inquired, reaching into one of the baskets on the shelves.

"Mhmmm," Astrid affirmed, a bit shy at thinking of how to word her concerns.

"Astrid got a visit from someone," Arashi noted.

Her feathers ruffled out again when Arashi's parents' eyes fell on her the next instant. What her comrade said was _true_, but when he put it _that_ way, it sounded a bit more sinister than she actually deemed it.

"From whom?" Niles quickly inquired, looking mildly concerned.

"A-ah, I- er, it was…" she tried putting it into words, "It was kinda like a dream, but… it wasn't…"

Arashi hopped up onto the table where his father combed the documents, and Astrid followed along too. Kaminari stowed an Oran berry or two in her bag and strolled over to them as well.

"Didn't you say they were familiar?" Arashi inquired.

"K-kinda…" the Rowlet answered, then looking up at the Inteleon and Greninja, "Th-this happened before too, but… I just kinda brushed it off. I feel like I should recognize their voice, but it's really hard to hear clearly and it gets cut off all the time, so I don't have much info on them…"

Kaminari studied her, and Niles rested his head on one hand.

"What info _do_ you have? And how many times has this happened?" Niles inquired.

"Just once before, and I could barely make anything out then," Astrid answered, "They called me by name the first time, and said a bunch of stuff I couldn't make out, then yelled and disappeared. I tried asking who they were this time, and they _tried _to answer me, but I still couldn't make it out because they were under a lot of stress, or so they told me. Then they mentioned I was being tailed, and… well, they know about that _thing_ that keeps showing up, but before I could talk to them more, they yelled again and cut out, like they're in trouble or something… And I can't make out who they are, because they're always covered in these ridiculously bright rays of light. But I know _someone_ is there."

Niles nodded while taking it in and Kaminari studied her intently.

"So what you're saying is that someone whom _you_ do not know but who seems to know _you_ is communicating with you through dreams, or is at least attempting to." Niles noted.

Astrid nodded. "P-pretty much."

Both the older Pokémon looked at each other. Astrid wasn't sure what to make of their silence, but she definitely hoped the reasons for her dream-like encounters were at least _somewhat_ innocuous even if she knew that was likely not the case. Arashi was still grinning, which she also wasn't sure what to make of, but figured it was for some reason relating to his boundless enthusiasm for ridiculous adventures.

"Who are you thinking of?" Kaminari inquired.

"Several," Niles responded, then looking back at Astrid, "And you say this individual is someone you're unfamiliar with, and they cannot tell you because they are under stress while contacting you?"

Another nod.

"Then that rules out Arceus, at least," the Inteleon remarked. "Or so I would assume- if a Legendary of that caliber were in trouble, there would be signs."

Astrid's eyes widened at the thought, and Arashi's did too albeit with excitement.

The Froakie touched her wing again with an eager look. "Hah, wouldn't _that_ be something if you were getting visions from Arceus!" he exclaimed.

Astrid didn't have to give it much consideration. "That would be _terrible!_" she protested.

Her comrade only laughed happily to himself, still looking rather enthralled with the idea.

Niles, however, cupped one hand around and gently scratched her feathers, smiling a bit. "Oh, don't worry, darling- if such were the case, there would be a good reason. You wouldn't be left to flounder about. As rare as a human-turned-Pokémon is, an appearance from Arceus is even rarer."

That put her at ease. "S-so who _is_ it, then…? Do you know…?"

"Not for sure," the Inteleon replied, "Several other Legendaries come to mind, but the information you have is a bit too vague to make any concrete conjectures. Then, of course, there is also the possibility of Psychic- or Ghost-types interfering with you, as well as fully incorporeal bodies… But do speak up if you see anything more or get some more pieces of information."

She nodded again.

Niles gave her one last pat and gently placed a single finger on the leafy bow on her chest, smiling at her. "Whatever purpose you are here for, you are valuable. We don't know in _what_ way you are valuable, but the simple fact is that you _are_."

"And if anyone comes chasing after your value, they better hope I don't see them." Kaminari added, a small Water Shuriken appearing then dissipating in one hand silently affirming her words.

Niles removed his hand, and the Rowlet fluffed up a bit as if trying to hide once more in her feathers. Her gaze drifted downwards. "Y-you all are so nice…"

Her Froakie comrade chuckled and hopped closer, sticking his arms around her in a hug. She wasn't protesting it.

"No one in their right mind would leave a stray amnesiac little one alone, even if you _weren't_ a former human," Kaminari brushed it off, then grabbing her bag and standing up again, "But, speaking of Pokémon about to get a Water Shuriken, I should be heading off now."

Niles stood up too and gave her a hug, which the Greninja returned.

Arashi only laughed and gleefully remarked, "Show 'em who's boss, Mom!"

Astrid was sure that Kaminari would one way or another, no doubt about it.

Before long, and after getting a few small bites to eat, Astrid and Arashi were setting out themselves down the beach and to town- of course with their scarves and badges tied on and Arashi carrying the bag. It was a bit dark and cloudy overhead and the air was slightly damp (even for being next to the sea), though it did still feel calm and… tranquil, in accordance with the name of the area. The waves lapping at the shore weren't any harsher than usual as might have been expected for grey skies, but even if it did begin a downpour, Astrid figured that neither she nor her comrade would mind too much. Droplets on her feathers didn't sound like that bad of an experience.

"This looks like Lila's kind of day," Arashi remarked, giving a glance upward, "If it starts thundering, she's probably gonna go run around on the cliffs and fire Thunderbolts at the clouds, ahaha!"

Astrid blinked, then nonchalantly inquired, "Does she think that's fun? I guess she wouldn't have to worry about getting fried."

Arashi giggled. "Yeah, getting shocked isn't a big deal to her," was the answer, "But I always keep my distance if I tag along, because it's a big deal to _me!_"

Astrid had already figured that indeed, it likely would be to her comrade, though she didn't particularly want to feel the sensation of electricity seizing up her limbs again, either.

"But," Arashi mused, "Today's the day Team Starstorm officially begins operations! Ahaha, I'm so exciteeeed!"

The Froakie couldn't help but clap his hands together and squeal in glee, which Astrid smiled just a bit at. By that point, she merely figured that Arashi's default state of being was excited- had she been in possession of hands, she could have counted on only one just how many times she _hadn't_ seen him gleeful and happy.

They made their way up the stairs, but once they reached the top…

"_HEYA~!"_

"_Yiiiaaaaah!"_

"WHAT THE-!"

Several simultaneous cried of surprise and fright emanated at the same time after a certain Croagunk jumped out with her loud interjection. A certain Aipom's face made very good friends with his hand while Trixie found herself with several glowing sharp leaves from Astrid's wings pointed straight at her and Arashi likewise readying a Bubble. Their Jolteon companion was nowhere to be seen.

"Did I Astonish you~?" Trixie chirped playfully.

Arashi gave her a pointed, but still amiable, glance. "You sure did," he replied, getting ahold of himself.

Astrid's leaves lost their glow and fell harmlessly to the ground, the Rowlet ruffling up a bit in hesitance. "H-hey, now, I was about to attack you…"

Trixie shrugged. "Well, if I can't take two attacks, then I guess I just deserve to die, ehehe~"

A shove from Charlie's tail-hand shut her up, and the Aipom turned back to them.

"Anyways," mused the Charlie, "Do you guys want an official mission? Because Lila's dad has one if you're interested."

Arashi immediately perked up with wide, sparkling eyes.

Astrid was intrigued as well, but still she simply had to ask on account of the Jolteon not being among them, "Something didn't happen to _Lila_, did it?"

That prospect seemed to alarm Arashi at her mention thereof, but Trixie piped up before they could worry too much.

"Oh, _hell_ no, nothing happened to Lila," the Croagunk answered, giving a dismissive wave with one hand, "Veeko went crawling through a briar and got a ton of burs stuck in his tail that he can't reach, and Lila's trying to get the rest out."

That assuaged them.

"That poor Eevee," Arashi remarked, then looking at his comrade with a grin, "_That_ came easy; we didn't even have to see the bulletin board!"

Astrid gave a little shrug of her wings in agreement.

They set off towards the Jolteon's house where, just as Trixie said, Veeko was looking rather downcast on their porch while Lila clawed a few spiky seeds out of his tail, which left it looking rather matted. (Perhaps Run Away had allowed him to weasel through the briar… but the briar had certainly weaseled through his fur as well.) Lila appeared to be rather amused at her little brother's mishap, while an Umbreon and Flareon had a word on the grass out front. The Jolteon gave them a nod of acknowledgement, and Trixie stifled a bit of laughter.

"You two!" the Flareon called, perking up and taking notice of the other youngsters, specifically Astrid and Arashi. He trotted over to them.

"Morning, Mr. Blaze!" Arashi chirped in response, grinning.

"U-um, h-hello," Astrid stammered.

The Flareon cut right to the chase. "So my daughter tells me you two have formed an expedition team," he noted, giving their badges a glance.

"We sure did!" Arashi cried happily. "Team Starstorm is officially official!"

Trixie stifled more laughter at the Froakie's exclamation, holding her hands over her mouth and strolling a few steps in the opposite direction to keep herself quiet. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Then I have a job for you if you're up for it," said Blaze, sitting down and swooshing his tail over the grass with a slight sizzling sound. "It involves trekking through wild territory, but you two seem to be perfectly capable if what I heard about the Tranquil Tunnel incident is true."

"We definitely are!" the Froakie affirmed.

"I-it wasn't _that_ bad in there…" Astrid's voice trailed off in passive affirmation.

"Do you two know where Overgrown Crevice is? Arashi, I take it that you would, at least," Blaze inquired.

Arashi nodded. "I sure do! Northwest from here, right? Past the crags?"

"Exactly," the Flareon affirmed, "My partner Cobalt the Heracross… He went out there and he hasn't come back, which isn't like him at all. There had been some rumors of Pokémon going down there and being able to evolve, which is getting rarer these days too, but after that… There started being more reports of Pokémon going down there and getting knocked out. Now, me and Cobalt aren't anywhere close to the best at battling, but I know he can handle himself, so I have no idea what he's gotten into."

Arashi started looking excited and his grin stretched even wider, while Astrid tilted her head to the side while carefully taking in each of Blaze's words. Several times she had heard mention of evolution spots being harder to find from her companions, thus one cropping up seemed a bit odd until Blaze's mention of seemingly nefarious activity. She catalogued that snippet of information in her mind.

"I can't go check up on him now since I've got things to do myself, and he was _supposed_ to be here to help me out…" Blaze carried on, "Besides, neither one of us can evolve even if those rumors were true, so who knows. But could I ask you two to go check around for Cobalt? Don't worry, there's a nice chunk of money in it for you."

"Of course!" Arashi emphatically agreed, his excitement practically bubbling over, then turning to Astrid, "Doesn't that sound _awesome?!_ If we discover an evolution spot and tell off some bad Pokémon in one fell swoop, that'd be amazing!"

"I'm in," she wasn't inclined to disagree.

"Let me know how it goes when you get back," said the Flareon.

"We will!" Arashi affirmed, beaming in happiness.

With that, Blaze slipped his own bag over his head and situated it on his back before exchanging a quick word with the Umbreon and setting off himself up the sandy path. Arashi clapped his hands together with another excited cry, Astrid getting a slight smile herself at her comrade's enthusiasm.

Trixie's interest seemed piqued too, for she skipped over to them again with wide eyes and a shifty grin.

"It's not gonna happen, Trixie," Charlie said preemptively.

"You don't know that!" the Croagunk shot back, then to Astrid and Arashi, "You got room for one more?! If that's an evolution spot, I want in!"

Arashi giggled. "Charlie's right; you probably aren't ready," he said to the contrary, "Me and Astrid evolve way earlier than you and Charlie can, so if anyone can find out, it's us!"

"Yeah, and you probably aren't ready, either!" Trixie shot back, "C'mon!"

"Hey, you had your fun last time we all went out together! Team Starstorm's gotta have our time to shine!"

Trixie relented, letting out a hapless sigh while still keeping her mischievous smile. "Fine, but when I become a Toxicroak, I'm gonna remember you said that!"

The Froakie laughed. "What're you gonna do, Focus Blast me?"

"Don't give her ideas," Lila called from the porch.

Regardless, Trixie's face lit up as if that were the finest idea that she'd ever heard, but nonetheless, she looked to Astrid. "Say, what do _you_ think~?"

Astrid blinked, frozen up for just a second on what exactly to say. "A-ah, w-well, it's just a rumor… P-probably nothing much else to go on; just Pokémon making things up…"

Another sigh from the Croagunk. "Eh, I just wanna be a freaking Toxicroak…~ It ain't fair that my old man and old lady get to hog all the spiked fists…~"

Arashi chuckled again, giving Trixie a pat on the shoulder while Charlie shook his head.

"You two better come back in one piece," the Aipom mused, smiling nonetheless.

"Stay safe, you two," called the Umbreon, striding back up to the porch and also attempting to get some of the burs out of Veeko's tail.

Arashi grinned. "We will, Ms. Nadine!" he called back to the Umbreon, then to no one in particular, "This is _great!_"

He went to take off with Astrid close behind, the two of them giving the ones left a wave as they started to the west. The Froakie certainly seemed thrilled, while Astrid was merely wondering what state they might find Cobalt in… and hoping it all boded well. Rumors of evolution spots or not, she had the feeling there was something more at play, though she couldn't quite place what.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: It's a bit of a miscellaneous thing to mention, but the name 'Cobalt' comes from what I nicknamed my Heracross for Emerald's Battle Frontier. It's not all that inspired, but… what can I say; I'm not THAT hard to impress naming-wise, hehehe._


	13. Chapter 13: A Shard Through the Chest

"If a wild Golem or Onix shows up and tries to flatten us, I'm relying on you and your wings!" Arashi declared with a grin.

"Well, let's hope that doesn't happen," Astrid said back.

Astrid kept her guard up when they left Brushwood Tangle and Verdant Meadow behind them to venture into the crags, though not because of the wild ones traipsing around without a care. The Caterpie and Roselia were _still_ utterly innocuous, and the air still felt fresh and wonderful, but still she kept an eye out for any visitors that wouldn't be so nonchalant. If Golem and Onix lurked in the crags someplace, she certainly didn't want to disturb them and expend all of her energy before the actual task at hand could be dealt with, and if Cobalt had been crawling away from something and ended up further out, she didn't want to miss him.

Nonetheless, one question tugged at her mind. "Hey, Arashi?"

"Yeah?"

"What is this about 'evolution spots?' What _are_ those, and why are they going away? I-I mean, I know what _evolution_ is, but…"

Her partner giggled, giving her a nudge. "If you didn't know what evolution is, I'd be concerned!" he jested, "But an evolution spot is where you go to evolve. Like, in Lila's case, she found this weird crystal, and for others it's a pond, or a tree… It depends which spot you go to. Point is, they all grant you the ability to evolve if you meet the requirements- like for Lila, she had a Thunderstone, and for ones like us, it's a certain amount of battle experience. Basically, you go to one, you hear some voice talking to you that asks if you want to evolve, and if you say yes and you meet the requirements, you evolve."

"A-ah…" her voice trailed off as the Rowlet took it in, "So it doesn't just… happen?"

The Froakie laughed. "No, silly! I mean, _I'd_ be perfectly happy if it just happened, but if someone else wanted to stay in a certain form forever, that'd be annoying! Why _would_ it just happen?"

… She didn't really have an answer and tilted her head to the side trying to think of one to no avail. What Arashi explained certainly wasn't ringing a bell.

"As to why they're going away, well… No one knows for sure," her comrade continued, "Evolution has been prevented in the past due to distortion in the universe's balance, but this is a little different. The spots are literally disappearing; there's no voice coming from a pond or crystal and the spots themselves either get destroyed or get replaced by something else in their surroundings like they'd never been there in the first place. No one knows why it's happening, or if someone out there is doing it intentionally, but it's just getting harder to evolve these days."

She nodded, then gave her comrade a glance. "You know, from what I can gather, there are a _lot _of things that no one seems to know on this world."

Arashi giggled, starting to beam again. "There sure are! Crazy Pokémon, Salem's shenanigans, evolution spots going away, _everything_ involving _you_… Isn't it _great?!_ We could be the ones to figure it all out, aha!"

'Great,' she wasn't so sure of. 'Precarious' and 'uncertain' seemed like far more fitting words.

Nonetheless, the crags themselves seemed relatively quiet, except for maybe a Geodude having a fit at a wandering Oddish some ways away. The clouds were still black overhead, though no downpour had started and didn't seem inclined to yet, but it still made Astrid thankful she hadn't been turned into a Fire-type.

"Arashi?"

"Yeah?"

"How many floors does this place have?"

The Froakie giggled again. "None, actually! It's like the meadow; it's just a place that everyone knows about!"

She nodded. "What kind of place?"

"Well, it's overgrown and it's a crevice," her comrade mused simply, "Well, I guess you could call it a ravine… Point is, it's in the middle of crags, but it's a little greener than you might expect- like, think of a forest stuck to a canyon wall. You see all kinds of Pokémon there."

And apparently one felt like making its presence known, for seemingly out of nowhere and without making a sound, Astrid caught sight of something moving in her peripheral vision… only to look up and see the claw of a Gligar reaching for her.

"Gah-!" the startled Rowlet cried, spreading her wings out and loosing a Leafage.

"Huh?" Arashi perked up at his comrade's cry, then noticing their company, "_Hey!_"

The Gligar let out an unhappy cry at Astrid's attack, but still she found herself with a claw latched to her face that she would have much preferred to _not_ be there. Her feathers padded its pincer grip, but having her vision obscured by a claw and the pointed edges thereof trying to dig into her head wasn't that grand of a feeling. Their visitor's tail shot out from behind it and Poison Stung the Rowlet, while its free claw slung some of the sand on the ground at Arashi for a Sand Attack.

Nonetheless, the Froakie quickly shut his eyes to keep his vision clear and spit a Bubble at the Gligar, eliciting another cry of discomfort and loosening its grip enough to let Astrid wrench herself free.

"Ngh…!" Astrid grunted, stumbling backwards a few steps before regaining her composure.

Even out of the Gligar's grip, the Poison Sting had lived up to its name and gave her a stinging sensation, which Astrid did her best to ignore. The Gligar evidently was determined, for it swung one pincer for a Fury Cutter at Arashi the next second, but a Quick Attack from the Froakie was faster.

"Sheesh! Did you take us for prey?!" Arashi exclaimed, ramming into it.

"Apparently so!" Astrid cried, flapping her wings to loosen more glowing leaves.

Her comrade got out of the way and the Gligar looked up to see another Leafage raining down, at which it began to look dismayed as though it were reconsidering its actions. It tried to shield itself with its claws and wings, but in any case, it soon seemed to lose most of its energy. One more Bubble knocked it out, the gliding creature laying in an immobile heap next to a large rock.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other.

"You okay?" asked the Rowlet.

"I'm fine," Arashi replied with no difficulty, "You? You're not poisoned, are you?"

She thought for a moment, still not thrilled about the stinging sensation caused by the Gligar, but she wasn't feeling particularly sick. "… I don't think so. It hurts, but I'm weak to poison, so I think I'll get over it."

He nodded. "Tell me if you need the berry."

They were on their way again, Astrid scanning the area even more after the encounter just to make sure nothing else tried to drag them off and eat them. Lucy the Swoobat raced by overhead, her messenger bag appearing to want to fly off of its strap with her speed.

_CRACK!_

A large bolt of lightning rained down out of the sky someplace further off in the distance, somewhere deeper in the crags to their east. Instinctively, Astrid jumped at the sound, her head swiveling every direction, but thankfully, it wasn't the Beast. It was only thunder.

Arashi grinned at the clouds. "Lila? Is that you?" he asked no one in particular.

Astrid sure hoped that it was, _if_ it was another Pokémon causing it, at least.

A Larvitar peeked at them from an indent in one cliff side while munching on a rock, and a Fearow landed much farther up to perch while still peeking down at the ground below. Neither one seemed particularly inclined to go swooping in and start a fight, but Astrid certainly kept her eyes peeled for them and made note of the shape of every crag and cliff they passed by. Arashi gave their surroundings a few glances here and there, but he didn't seem near as cautious.

A bit of dust kicked up from behind the edge of one rock face along with the sound of plodding footsteps, and Astrid prepared for another fight while Arashi merely studied it inquisitively. A Rhyhorn charged out into their view, going straight for them but seemingly with a mind occupied by something else. It didn't seem intent on slowing down or stopping.

Astrid flapped into the air while Arashi leaped sideways, letting it dash harmlessly past them… and into another large rock, which it smashed into and shattered before coming to a stop. It merely shook its head, shook itself off, and trotted off someplace else without a care.

Arashi giggled. "You alright there?" he jokingly inquired, giving the Rhyhorn a glance.

Back to trekking.

The further they ventured, Astrid could see the greenery creeping up the sides of the rock faces where it hadn't been before as if the meadow terrain and steeper cliffs were vying for the same space. It didn't reach the top of the crags, but a few spiky protrusions up from the ground had all but their tips coated by grass and a few wildflowers. It looked somewhat calm and welcoming, if not slightly standoffish at the same time, and the Rowlet could easily see how a myriad of types could call it home.

The stinging sensation left too, gradually dulled as they walked along, which she was thankful for. Getting poisoned didn't seem like any experience she'd be itching to have.

Someplace further down the line, the ground steeply dropped off and she quickly figured out what Arashi meant by 'a forest stuck to a canyon wall,' for a ravine stretched out before them almost halfway to the horizon and its walls were coated in greenery more lush than that which attempted to overtake the cliffs. Bushes sprouted from cracks in the crevice walls and trees grew on the bottom surface, and in the deep green grassy patches were dots of vibrant color from wildflowers. A Nincada crawled up one side of the crevice and an Aron appeared to be sleeping in a corner. From a glance, no out-of-place Heracross was visible.

Yet, the thing that easily caught Astrid's attention was what appeared to be the opening to a cave towards the end of it. She eyed it.

"Here we are!" Arashi declared, looking down into the crevice with a big grin. "So if Cobalt is still here, we should find him somewhere down below!"

Astrid nodded, then said to her comrade, "Here, let me get us down there."

She swooped Arashi up and fluttered as smoothly as she could down to the bottom, being careful to avoid stray branches and mossy rocks jutting out from the ravine wall. She set Arashi down easy then landed herself.

"Cobalt?" Arashi called, readjusting the bag's strap.

His voice echoed around the crevice and garnered several looks from their feral company. The Aron perked up at the call and started to look rather frustrated at being roused.

"Hey," Astrid said, giving her comrade a nudge and gesturing at the little iron-clad one.

It shook its head and charged at them, head poised to Headbutt whoever it happened to ram into first, but a Leafage from Astrid made it stall for a tiny moment while she and Arashi jumped out of the way. A growl of aggression came from it before it lurched to Tackle the Froakie, who again dove out of the way and spit a Bubble at it.

"Sorry, little guy!" Arashi cried.

The bubbles made it fuss and try to shake them off, and another Leafage from Astrid finished it off.

"Oh, come on, I've been woken up by weird strangers several times now and I didn't have _that _reaction," Astrid remarked, giving the Aron a glance.

"Hey, maybe it was having a nice dream," Arashi mused with a grin.

Somehow, Astrid doubted that.

Nonetheless, she gave the cavern opening another look, then looked back to Arashi. "Is there supposed to be a cave over here…? You didn't mention one…"

He studied it too. "Well, it's not a dungeon unless we stumbled across a new one, so let's go check it out! I haven't heard about one specifically, but hey, maybe Cobalt is hanging out there!"

… That didn't bode particularly well in Astrid's mind seeing as caves didn't just randomly appear out of nowhere, but she figured it was worth a shot in any case and nodded. Maybe Cobalt had punched the wall too hard or a Rhyhorn crashed into it by accident, she considered. Arashi hopped over to it and she flapped along to keep up.

The front walls to it certainly appeared to be chipped out by something, for several small pebbles and larger jagged chunks littered the ground, though the grass outside already threatened to mask the remains of the broken stone. It wasn't such a big cave, little more than five meters in diameter, and the grassy exterior of the crevice didn't extend inwards to it as if it hadn't been continuous with the rest of their surroundings. It much more resembled an enclosure that had been sealed away by a stone wall to its front, and then had that stone wall smashed in. That much wasn't unreasonable; Astrid recalled Rush making quick work of the stones blocking their path back in Tranquil Tunnel, and if the crevice had been rumored as an evolution spot, perhaps someone had smashed it down in their investigation.

That explanation grew far more reasonable when the limp body of a certain cobalt blue Bug-type met their eyes slumped down to one side, out of view of the outside.

"Cobalt!" Arashi cried on noticing him.

Instantly both he and Astrid rushed over to the Heracross' side, Arashi taking the bag off and reaching inside for an Oran berry.

"Mr. Cobalt? Are you okay?" Astrid asked, gently nudging him with one wing.

No response came from the Heracross, but from the cave entrance, a large _thud_ could easily be heard. Both of the youngsters looked up, and instantly Astrid's eyes went a bit wide and her feathers ruffled out.

They weren't alone in the cave, for another creature with folded wings and a brightly burning tail looked them over with eyes peering back from a draconian head- a Charizard.

Arashi's eyes went a bit wide too, the Froakie clearly not having expected such. All three conscious occupants of the cave studied each other for a second, Astrid and Arashi a bit unsure of what to do and the Charizard scrutinizing them.

Yet, the one with the burning tail broke the silence, starting to grin. "Don't worry about the Heracross; I've been seeing to him," she said, eyes narrowing a bit.

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief at hearing a voice as opposed to a growl, but still, another Pokémon present set her on edge just a bit.

Arashi broke into a grin again as well, removing his hand from the bag and slipping it back on. "Really? Sheesh, that's nice! Apparently he's been gone for way longer than normal, so I was a little worried for a second!"

The Charizard chuckled. "Don't be; he's alive. You thought I was wild, didn't you?" she inquired.

"Y-yes," Astrid responded quickly.

"I _hoped_ not, but I knew it was possible!" Arashi replied.

Both the Charizard and Froakie laughed, Arashi taking a few hops closer to her while Astrid still eyed their company with a bit of caution. She hadn't seen a Charizard anywhere on their trek there, so why she was randomly appearing as soon as they entered the cave bugged her just a little bit. She had to have been watching them from somewhere, but her motives for such, they obviously couldn't know.

"Say, what's your name? I haven't seen a Charizard around these parts in… well, ever!" Arashi asked amiably.

"Zariel," she replied, still grinning while looking him over. "And you?"

"I'm Arashi! Nice to meet ya!" was her answer, the Froakie reaching up one hand which she reached down to shake (though her clawed appendage practically swallowed his).

The Rowlet was still silent, feeling a bit more at ease with Zariel's friendly gesture, but the Charizard's gaze fell on her next, one draconian eye narrowing more than the other and her fangs getting bared even more than the norm in a smirk.

"So you must be Astrid, right?" Zariel inquired without missing a beat.

The one in question froze, her eyes going wide and feathers puffing out again. Arashi didn't seem to think much of it, though he did give his comrade a curious glance back.

"H-how did you know that…?" the smaller winged one inquired hesitantly.

"Hah! Maybe she heard about our team!" Arashi happily posited.

"I didn't, actually," Zariel immediately said to the contrary, eyes still locked on the Rowlet. "But I certainly know who she is."

Astrid blinked, hardly daring to move a muscle. "D-do I know you…?"

"No. But _I_ know _you._" the Charizard replied with a slight growl in her voice, her claws twitching just a bit but the grin still gracing her jaws. "You're the _human.~_"

And at that, both she and Arashi froze, the Froakie's eyes likewise going wide. Their shared glances conveyed their stupor better than any words could, and Zariel chuckled a bit with smoke escaping her nostrils.

"Who told you that?!" Arashi cried, hopping closer to his friend's side. "No one else is supposed to know that, except for…!" then, with a sudden ray of hope, "Wait, are you with the Expedition Coalition?! Last I checked, there wasn't a Charizard on their team, but maybe I just didn't hear about a new member! If you're up to no good, you wouldn't be helping Cobalt!"

Zariel cackled at the idea, more smoke coming out of her maw. "_Me?!_ On a team like _that?! There's_ something that'd never happen!" she brushed it off, "Kid, I haven't _helped_ anyone except my boss and my comrades. I was simply sent here to guard the _important_ things for the time being. I thought I could lure someone that knew something about that little ball of feathers here if I knocked the Heracross out and kept him fainted long enough for anyone to notice, but instead, I got the little ball of feathers herself!"

That answered _one_ question- why Cobalt had been gone for such a long time- but raised several more.

The Froakie deflated, the ray of hope leaving for uncomfortable uncertainty. "Then who _told_ you?! I know it wasn't my mom or dad or me!"

Astrid too wanted to know the answer, but the smoke escaping the Charizard's mouth and nostrils wasn't boding well for anyone, especially not herself nor the fainted Cobalt. She eyed the bag her comrade held and thought about quickly retrieving an Oran berry to revive their target with, so that maybe the Heracross could shed some light… But that thought was overshadowed by another.

'Guard the _important_ things.' Evolution spots certainly seemed like important things… important, hard to find things.

'I haven't helped anyone except my boss and my comrades.' The wanted poster in town flashed across her mind. 'Current number of subordinates unknown. Only known underling is a Charizard who has also escaped apprehension thus far; suspected to also be in contact with an aquatic species.'

The pupils in the Rowlet's eyes practically turned to little pinpricks.

Their visitor chuckled flippantly. "I'll give you three guesses," Zariel taunted without a care.

Arashi took one. "That weird beast with the wire body."

The Charizard seemed to perk up, however, but still she replied with a smirk, "… _No._"

"S-Salem…" Astrid stammered faintly.

At that, two sets of eyes fell on her again, Zariel's in glee and Arashi's in surprise.

The Rowlet nudged her comrade. "W-we need to get out of here."

Zariel laughed again, several embers coming from her mouth along with the smoke as her eyes practically bored holes in Astrid. "Oh, a smart one, are you? Didn't even need all three."

"W-wait a second!" Arashi exclaimed, a bit uncertain, "You're with _Salem?!_"

"The poster, Arashi, the poster," Astrid said quickly.

At that, the realization seemed to hit him like a Rock Blast too and he broke into an awkwardly flustered grin. "Aha, I'm honestly not sure whether to be excited about this or concerned…!"

Astrid had no idea what part of that decision was hard to make, for she certainly had no trouble in being worried about every aspect of their situation. Whatever was going to happen, she couldn't see it ending well in their favor at all. She _almost_ preferred the sparking Beast to this creature; at least one of them lacked the muscles and facial structure to smirk so wildly, and getting burnt to a crisp as opposed to getting fried by electricity was a moot point any way she looked at it.

Zariel certainly seemed to be reveling in the panic and uncertainty. "I sure am, Smiley," she snarled with glee at the Froakie, then back at Astrid, "Word around the block was that humans-turned-Pokémon are _insanely_ valuable… And if what I've seen and heard is correct, then _that's damn right_. She _prefers_ you alive, but…"

The Charizard exhaled a wild breath, with it coming a burst of flames that dissipated, but the look on her face said the next one wouldn't be so harmless. Nonetheless, Astrid could feel its heat, and even Arashi noticed it.

"… _Sometimes I just can't help myself, ahahaha!_"

Astrid shook her head. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," she mused flatly.

Whether Zariel or the gods were kidding or not, when their company exhaled a Flamethrower, both she and her comrade moved, only giving Cobalt a glance to make sure his carapace didn't get melted or the like. Whatever Zariel had done to him, they didn't have time to tend to.

Arashi hopped and Astrid flapped as fast as they could along the cave's perimeter, the Flamethrower sticking close behind them but thankfully petering out after a few seconds.

With the Charizard standing in the way of the exit, there wasn't much hope of simply escaping. Astrid's mind raced trying to figure out some way to get by her, so that at least if the fight were to continue, they wouldn't be so boxed in. A Leafage would be beyond useless against a foe like Zariel, for she'd likely just burn it even if the Rowlet went for the eyes again. The only moves in Astrid's arsenal that would do any good required direct contact, which certainly wasn't favorable, but it would have to do even with the Charizard's claws flashing and fangs bared…

Arashi spit a Bubble at their assailant which Zariel's eye twitched a bit at, but she didn't seem to notice it too much and instead her maw filled with what looked like pale blue sparking smoke. Astrid flew at her and delivered a Peck to her snout as Zariel breathed a Dragon Breath at Arashi, which the Froakie swiftly dove out of the way of and dashed forward in a Quick Attack. The cave's opening was close, but Zariel wasn't intent on letting them leave, for she gave her wings a hard flap to create an Air Slash that knocked them away from her and back towards the cave walls. Had they not seen the move with their own eyes, they wouldn't have known the blades were made of air, for they felt exactly like the real thing.

"Ngh…!" Astrid grunted, flapping to shakily regain her balance in the air.

"Owwww!" Arashi fussed, shaking himself off.

The Rowlet's feathers had been sliced clean through in several places, and Arashi's body had a few new scratches on it that hadn't been there before. Both of them had _definitely_ been in better health before the attack, and the Charizard laughed.

"I wonder how much I can roast a Rowlet before she dies…~" Zariel chirped sadistically, eyes glinting in mirth, "You wanna help me find out, Astrid?! I'm sure Salem could fix you up afterwards!"

Another Flamethrower showed that evidently, Zariel really _did _want to know. Astrid and Arashi scattered, the heat coming off of it nonetheless being too close for comfort.

"That is _sick!_" Arashi protested.

Astrid certainly agreed with her comrade, but words seemed almost as useless as a Leafage. The Air Slash had left her feeling weak, and Arashi didn't seem to be faring significantly better even if he countered Zariel's Fire-type and wasn't weak to the Flying-type move they'd just been hit with.

Nonetheless, another Bubble flew at Zariel, which she ignored with another twitch of her eye to instead create another Air Slash. Astrid beat her wings as fast as she could to nearly the touch the top of the cave, which thankfully put her out of range of the attack. Another Dragon Breath came for the Rowlet, while another Bubble made the Charizard growl.

Nonetheless, Astrid flew to avoid it just barely, instead dropping down on the ground next to her comrade.

"Berry," she said quickly, keeping an eye on Zariel for another attack.

Arashi reached into the bag and retrieved the light blue berry she sought, while Zariel's maw filled with smoke and flame again. The Rowlet took the berry in her beak as the Flamethrower fired, both her and her comrade fleeing to opposite sides of the cave while Cobalt stayed as motionless as ever.

"You can only hold out so long," Zariel taunted.

Astrid hoped they wouldn't find out exactly how long was so long, and that they'd be able to weasel out of her grasp some way or another. The Charizard was certainly making things difficult in that regard.

Another Dragon Breath shot off at Arashi as he spit a Bubble, but the bubbles were easily overtaken and the Froakie had to dart out of the way again, the ground getting scorched where he had stood moments before. Astrid tore a chunk out of the berry with her beak and swallowed it, carefully catching the rest with one foot before scarfing it down too. Her strength returned, and she darted for Zariel again, aiming a Peck. However, Zariel chuckled under her fiery breath and drew one clawed fist back, smirking wickedly at the Rowlet.

Oran berry or not, Astrid felt her strength leave almost as fast as it had returned when Zariel Mega Punched her.

"AGH-!"

_Crack!_

_CRACK!_

The Rowlet felt _something_ snap within her form when Zariel's attack connected, then felt something _else_ break from her colliding into it. It was almost too fast to register, though for the umpteenth time, something didn't feel… quite right.

There was a new hole in the cave wall that hadn't been there seconds before, which she could clearly see Zariel, Arashi, and Cobalt's limp form through. The cracked walls on the edge of its opening told her that it was the result of Zariel's Mega Punch, which _definitely_ lived up to its name. The Charizard had punched her clear through the stone sheet.

Yet, she wasn't flapping her wings or moving at all, but she was _still_ stuck in the air.

"ASTRID!" Arashi's frantic cry snapped her out of her daze, her comrade looking absolutely petrified.

All at once, it registered. The horrendous _pain_ she felt registered.

Her eyes drifted down, where the leafy bow on her chest was gone. She caught sight of it on the ground, torn in half and covered in a sticky red liquid mixed among some more scattered feathers, more red trickles dripping down onto it.

… The same sticky red liquid dripped down the rest of the feathers on her front too, slowed only by the big, haphazardly conical crystalline shard impaling her that probably would've ripped her body in half had Zariel given her punch a bit more force. The shard had streaks of blood along it too, along with a few pinkish fleshy fragments that she _really_ did not want to think about. Whatever they were, she was sure they weren't supposed to be on the _outside_.

Zariel seemed to laugh, and Arashi looked panicked, the Charizard not even paying him any attention as he frantically hopped closer. If words were leaving their mouths, she couldn't make them out.

Perhaps she would have made a slight groan or shriek, maybe said a word or two, but no sound came out of her beak. Try as she might, her body wouldn't listen.


	14. Chapter 14: The Emissary's Wrath

_*Seeker of awakening… this is Luminous Cavern.*_

_*H-huh?!*_

Another voice, one Astrid had _definitely_ not heard before, emanated from seemingly nowhere and everywhere at once. It almost drowned out the feeling of a giant spike through her body… _Almost_. If nothing else, it was definitely distracting at the very least.

Arashi and Zariel didn't seem to be privy to it, and much _unlike_ the visions of other luminous sources of sound, she could make out the words that it spoke clearly. _*Tell me. Do you seek to evolve?*_

_*E-evolve…?!*_

"Astrid! Oh, Arceus above, _Astrid!_" Arashi cried frantically, dashing over the rubble of the shattered stone and closer to his comrade. "Are you okay?! Er-! That's a dumb question, of _course_ you're not!"

The Froakie slipped off the bag and tried to dig up an Oran berry, but his hands were shaking frantically and made it far more difficult than it otherwise would have been. He could only fumble with it while trying to open it up, and the sight of Astrid's ripped, bloodied leaf bow lying in front of him certainly wasn't helping. A slight sound of _drip, drip_ filled the room as little red droplets fell from the crystalline shard and pooled on the ground.

"You're gonna be fine! You're gonna be fine! C'mon Astrid, _say_ something…!"

Zariel cackled and took a few steps closer, embers and smoke coming out of her nostrils and maw, her expression absolutely diabolical. "Go on and try to save her, Smiley! Guess I'll have to settle for burning _you_ to a crisp! Or should I Mega Punch you to a pulp instead?! Either way is fine by me!"

The Froakie cast her an absolutely horrified look as he finally managed to open the bag. "You are the _worst!_"

Astrid's beak opened just a bit, but no sound came out. Her vision was blurring and her eyelids fluttered as she tried, somewhat in vain, to keep them open. Evolution… It seemed like a _terrible_ time to be striking up a conversation, but at the same time… Their assailant was wiping the floor with them. _Anything_ to give them an edge over Zariel, even the slightest bit…

The sheer force from Zariel's punch that rammed Astrid into the spike seemed to compromise the crystalline fixture, for a slight cracking sound came from its base attached to the wall, and to the sharp eye, a hairline fracture could be seen forming.

_*You and I both do not have much time to debate, seeker.*_

She certainly didn't, and she certainly wasn't going to waste that time. _*YES! I-if I can! If I can get stronger…!*_

A cry of dismay came from Arashi as he moved several chestnuts and a seed aside to grab hold of an Oran berry. "J-just give me a second, Astrid…! I'm coming! We're gonna get through this; you're gonna be fine! D-don't give up…!"

"Go on, Smiley, go on!" Zariel taunted, completely at leisure, "Only reason I'm not melting you right now is because this is fun to watch!"

At least she _was_ just watching. Had Zariel let loose an attack, short of running at him for a Mega Punch, Arashi easily would not have had the mind to run from it. His fried with a spike through her body dripping blood onto the ground took over his mind. Try as he might to stay positive… it was difficult.

"And I thought the evolution spot was sealed off nicely! Hah, guess I _am_ just too much!" Zariel mocked, crossing her arms and giving her wings a few ecstatic flutters. "Oh, this is just _too good!_"

Within a short time, however, the Charizard was regretting that choice of words.

_*You who seek awakening… Let us begin.*_

"Astrid, just hang on…!" Arashi pleaded, tucking the berry in one arm and crouching down to hop to her.

Before he could, however, the Rowlet's body seemed to change radically again, for instead of a ball of feathers, she became a ball of light. Zariel's eyes narrowed and Arashi's eyes went wide, both of them uncertain as to what was becoming of the Rowlet but the Charizard still retaining her cocky disposition.

"Oh, are you getting sent home already? Go on, make that ball of light and _go home_," Zariel mused apathetically, though looking a bit skeptical, as if she were also prepared to jump in again but doubting the need.

"_No!_" Arashi protested at the mention. "Astrid! W-what's happening?!"

The ball of light morphed into more of an oval and repositioned itself above the blood-covered spike, before solidifying a bit more into a shape bearing wings and feet with the black scarf and badge still situated at the base of one wing.

Zariel's smirk faltered. "WHAT?!"

The light left her body, leaving only the form of a Dartrix to perch atop the crystalline spike, no giant hole in her chest and the leafy bow back in place.

It was a definite comfort to her comrade, and Arashi's eyes practically sparkled at the sight. "_Astrid!_" he cried in relieved happiness.

_Crack!_

The spike found itself with a bigger fracture running along its length and several smaller shards fell to the ground below. Astrid brushed the two leaves framing her face out of her eyes and jumped off, the crystalline shard shattering as she did so. Arashi too moved out of the way, and Astrid flapped down to land next to him. Zariel's eye twitched a bit at the sight, and her claws seemed to be debating whether to curl into a fist or not, but she wasn't making any moves right off the bat.

"Give me that berry; there's no way I'm at full health," Astrid said quickly, a bit short of breath.

Without missing a beat, Arashi held it up for her and she grabbed it in her beak before scarfing it down.

"Are you okay?" the Froakie asked.

"I will be; let's take care of _this_ one first," she replied.

Zariel's smirk had contorted into something resembling amused wrath, and the two she targeted certainly couldn't discern what precisely ran through her head. Either way, they doubted it was anything pretty.

"You're still _alive?!_" the Charizard roared while flashing her claws, then gaining back some of her smirk, "Hah, I guess that's par for one like you! I'll torch you both and drag you back!"

Astrid didn't bother giving her a response. Rather, she too gave her wings a flap to whip up a rather Ominous Wind (that simply seemed to come naturally with the evolved form), which she sent at Zariel, who in turn breathed off a Flamethrower. The Dartrix swooped up her comrade again and flapped out of the way of the flames, though she did stick just a bit close to them as she fled the cavern. The heat wasn't pleasant, but she ignored it.

"We've gotta talk about this later!" Arashi cried.

"We will!" Astrid affirmed, eyes still locked on Zariel.

Arashi spit a Bubble and Astrid struck with another Ominous Wind as she flew for the cave's opening, Zariel baring her fangs in a wild snarl. The Charizard gave her own wings a flap to create more airy blades that went for the Starstorm duo, but Astrid ducked out of the cave and upwards out of their way before they could make contact. Zariel came dashing after them with a frustrated but cheeky glare, leaving Cobalt slumped alone in the corner.

"You're down to fight this crazy lady, right?" Astrid asked her comrade, still flapping upwards.

"Of course! She's probably not gonna let us leave anyway!" the Froakie affirmed.

"Good. I think I've got an idea, but, let me ask… Are you afraid of heights?"

Arashi was still upbeat, but got a bit of a funny look. "… Why?"

"Because if she knocks me out, the odds of us both getting screwed over are high."

Her comrade paused and debated it for just a second, then went right back to smiling. "Nah, it's alright! I trust you!"

"Then in the meantime, keep your eye on Zariel for me!"

The crevice's edge was level with their eyes for just a second, then started to become smaller and smaller. Zariel spread her wings too and took off after them down below, still looking positively wild and out for blood. Astrid didn't look down at her but kept her eyes on the sky above, though Arashi kept his gaze on the Charizard, who gave several hard flaps of her wings to create another Air Slash.

"Air Slash incoming!" the Froakie cried.

"Tell me where!" Astrid replied, giving only a split-second look down.

Smaller and smaller was the crevice, closer sailed the air blades.

"Dodge left!" called Arashi.

Astrid did so, one of the blades flying past to her right and another just behind her.

"Go forwards!"

She did so, some of the feathers on her back and tail getting a bit ruffled. Arashi too lost a few bubbles from the attack, but ultimately the blades dissipated into the air above.

"Run all you want; I'll roast _you_, Astrid, and watch your little friend go splat!" Zariel yelled, happily vicious and gradually catching up.

True to her words, she opened her maw and embers started glowing amid a bit of smoke.

"_Flamethrower!_" Arashi cried.

"Oh, _come on!_" Astrid haplessly protested.

Nonetheless, she glanced down to see a stream of flames coming at them and quickly started flying at a slant rather than straight up. Arashi went to counter, but the Bubble was almost entirely lost in a burst of steam. The flames died down a bit, but Zariel's sheer heat easily overpowered the Froakie's move, and Astrid flapped as fast as she could to avoid it.

Zariel laughed, still hardly concerned. "You don't think I've never fought a Water-type before, do you?! The _both_ of you are _nothing_!"

Arashi spit another at her, which the Charizard dodged and let float towards to the ground far below them. The landscape was beginning to look something like a quilt from the altitude, the cliffs and trees still discernible but the crevice and ground losing their features. The top of the cliffs started to become smaller too after a few moments, while Zariel kept getting closer and closer. Her draconian form started to look its normal size rather than just a smallish Charizard closer to the ground below, and another Flamethrower would've been harder to dodge.

"How high up are we going?!" Arashi inquired. "She's getting closer!"

"That's fine!" Astrid brushed it off, studying the dark clouds above. "Keep watching her!"

The Froakie did so. Zariel didn't seem bothered at all, and in fact began whipping up more air blades with her wings.

"Air Slash!" Arashi called.

"_Perfect,_" Astrid said, eyes narrowing.

Her comrade perked up a bit at her tone, unsure if it was sarcasm or gruff determination. Nonetheless, the windy blades sailed up at them, Zariel snickering.

Arashi's eyes followed them. "Forwards! Right!"

"_Eeek!_"

Astrid maneuvered around them for the most part with her comrade's cries, but one still nicked the end of her tail. Zariel laughed, but the Dartrix paid it no mind. The air blades sailed past them, upwards into the clouds where they dissipated and the clouds parted just a bit.

A slight mist graced them for just a second, but the moment Astrid felt the air's slight dampness, she too loosed an attack- an Ominous Wind, straight up at the clouds.

Zariel seemed taken aback for a second, her smirk faltering but her eyes still wild. "… _No!_" she breathed with a smoky breath, mostly to herself.

The Charizard growled, more fire welling up in her throat.

"Flamethrower!" Arashi called.

Yet as Zariel opened her maw to exhale it, the clouds opened up from being disturbed by the attacks and droplets of rain fell down, a bit scattered for a few split seconds before giving way to a proper deluge. A cloud of steam filled the air as the rain and flames met, though still Zariel's heat radiated from it. Astrid gave a few quick flaps backwards while Arashi went to spit another stream of bubbles, but the bubbles seemed to coalesce into something more- a Water Pulse that shot straight through the fire. Zariel gave another frustrated growl.

"That wasn't Bubble, was it?!" Astrid inquired, briefly glancing down at her comrade.

"Nope!" Arashi called back, "I was trying to give my Bubble some more oomph, but this works too! The rain gives us a big advantage!"

"I had a hunch!" Astrid affirmed.

Whatever cockiness was in Zariel left, the Charizard clearly not having a good time with the water droplets pattering against her skin and making steam on her tail's flame. Her expression contorted into one of wrath without a shred of amusement or mirth. Evidently she could tell Flamethrower wasn't going to be her best option anymore, for her maw filled up with sparks and blue smoke. A Dragon Breath followed shortly after.

Astrid shot back with another Ominous Wind while holding her wings in for a second to let herself and her comrade fall out of the way of Zariel's attack. The Charizard tried her best to dodge, but the repulsive wind's reach was simply too broad, and Arashi too let off another Water Pulse in the same moment.

"Whatever you're doing, don't let up!" the Dartrix cried to her comrade, "Our damage output is mostly dependent on you here!"

"Just don't get knocked out and drop me!" Arashi replied, not too worried.

Zariel, however, seemed eager to end the battle quickly with their surroundings swayed out of her favor. Another set of windy blades formed with hard flaps of her wings, and Arashi spit another pulse of water at the Charizard, though the Air Slash diminished the effect of the Froakie's attack by scattering it just a bit. Astrid ducked and flapped out of the way, though a few of her feathers and a bit of her skin got a bit roughed up from the attack's fringes. It wasn't a _major_ distraction, but nonetheless, she would have _much_ preferred the damage not be there to cause any worries. Nonetheless, Zariel snarled and rushed at them with one clawed fist clenched, but the Dartrix again ceased to flap and fell out of the way just as Zariel Mega Punched the air she used to occupy.

"Nope! _Definitely_ nope!" Astrid cried.

The Dartrix's body swerved with her wings still held in to give Arashi a better aim. His Water Pulse went straight for Zariel's tail, and the Charizard was too busy regaining her position in the air to notice that it _wasn't_ just a stray shot.

"_Gwaaaargh!_" Zariel hollered as it hit, her flame wavering for a moment but still burning amid the steam.

The flame didn't go _out_, but still Astrid had to imagine that it _seriously_ hurt to have it doused. Still, the sensation she'd formerly had of a spike tearing through her back and out of her front dried up any sympathy she otherwise would've had.

Another Dragon Breath followed, Astrid putting her wings out and flitting aside, and Arashi sent another Water Pulse Zariel's way. The threat of being burnt to a crisp was at least gone, but the threat of paralysis with Dragon Breath, a super effective move for Astrid with Air Slash, and getting reduced to a smear on ground or cliffs loomed over them with the rest of Zariel's attacks. Astrid wanted to end it quickly too.

Nonetheless, Zariel too folded her wings in and dropped for a second to let the burst of water fly harmlessly over her head, then immediately breathed off another beam of bluish energy and sparks, which Astrid flew out of the way of.

Clearly Zariel wasn't comfortable in the rain judging from her frustrated snarling expression, though her two targets were _plenty_ happy with that result.

"Gah, if I had my comrade with me…!" Zariel growled, voice pained, wings whipping up another Air Slash.

"But you don't! You're alone!" Arashi shot back.

A threatening snarl of wrath was the only answer, along with the blades of air.

Astrid's eyes narrowed just a bit and she too created another attack of her own, summoning up an Ominous Wind while jerking around in the air to avoid Zariel's blows. She couldn't dodge all of them, however, and took one slash to her wing.

"Ngh-!" the Dartrix held her tongue.

Astrid stalled in the air for a second but ignored it, giving the ground far below a glance that came closer for just a moment. She certainly didn't want to go crashing into it, especially not with her comrade grasped in her talons.

"You alright?!" Arashi asked quickly.

"I'm fine!" was the answer.

Zariel wasn't, clearly not thrilled at taking another hit from her contorting, wild facial expressions. The Starstorm duo was certainly getting a good look at her fangs bared in a snarl, but that wasn't worrying them near as much. The Charizard's movements had become labored rather quickly, though she still was dead set on tearing them apart in whatever way came easiest.

Arashi wasn't wasting time, hitting her with another Water Pulse. She growled, her wings seeming to become a bit heavy to move but the energy of a Dragon Breath welling up in her maw. Nonetheless, she was stalled, and Arashi hit her again- the flame on her tail became little more than an ember.

"Gwah-…!"

_That_ seemed to be plenty enough, for the sparks and smoke vanished from Zariel's jaws and a gnarled cry of frustration and pain came out. Her eyelids fluttered and her wings stopped moving, the Charizard quickly losing altitude.

"_Yes!_ Is that a win?!" Arashi cried, surprisedly excited.

"Hold on," Astrid replied, "I wanna make sure she's not playing us."

The Dartrix dove down after her, though carefully keeping some distance safely behind. Zariel went crashing down into a cliff's face, a startled wild Aron giving a small jump and scurrying away as the Charizard slumped down on the ground in an immobile heap. Her flame was still going, but it was small and steaming, clearly not the bright and healthy flame it was when she showed up in the cave.

Astrid carefully let her comrade down then landed herself, but she kept a good distance back from their motionless assailant.

"Zariel?" the Dartrix asked, eyeing her carefully.

One draconian eye opened up slightly and her fangs were bared as best they could be. "You can come closer if you want to- I'll turn you into a torch, rain or no rain," was the soft growl of an answer.

"You just don't quit," Arashi remarked, studying her with an awkward, slightly uncertain look.

Astrid, though, refrained from Zariel's offer, staying where she was. "Can I ask you something?"

"Can _I_ ask _you_ something?" was the acerbic response.

Astrid's eyes narrowed, but still she replied, "Fair enough. I'll answer you if you answer me."

Arashi looked a bit unsure of that arrangement, but a quick glance with Astrid kept him quiet.

"Get on with it, then. What do you want?" Zariel growled.

"How does Salem know who I am?"

The frustration turned to mirth, and Zariel's eyes got a wild look again. A weak, subdued snicker came from her. "Because the one who sent you fucked up.~"

Both the Dartrix and Froakie perked up, but the Froakie much more so.

"You know who sent her?!" Arashi exclaimed.

Astrid too wanted the answer, but Zariel laughed weakly again.

"I said I'd answer your friend, Smiley, and my job is done. It's your turn now, human." The Charizard's gravelly voice shot back.

Astrid deflated. "… Fine. What is it?"

Zariel's eyes narrowed, her maw still curled in a smirk. "Did you get your fluffy ass kicked by a Beast?"

Astrid didn't appreciate her phrasing, but nonetheless answered, "… Yes."

More flippant, weak laughter. "… I guess it didn't finish the job. Not that I'm complaining about getting my turn too…~"

Astrid's eyes narrowed some more, and without missing a beat, she looked to her comrade. "Hit her again."

The snarling smirk faded for wrath again almost instantly, the Charizard's claws clenching but Zariel unable to pick herself up. Arashi had no protests, and another Water Pulse ended her efforts and made her go completely limp.

Still, the Dartrix couldn't be too cautious. "One more time to make sure," Astrid said, still eyeing her.

Arashi's glance went to his comrade. "Are you sure that's necessary? I mean, I don't like her either, but it's raining and she's weak and all…"

"She can't wake up anytime soon. Once we get Cobalt and get out of here, we've gotta tell everyone else that Salem's underling is knocked out in the cliffs. Hopefully someone else can get more info out of her than we can."

Arashi nodded and hit her with a pulse of water once more. The Charizard didn't move, her tail still a steaming ember. The Dartrix and the Froakie shared a glance, then gave each other a nod before Astrid swooped up her comrade and started making way back to the crevice.

Arashi went right back to smiling. "You know, for a first mission, I'd call this a total win!"

"I would too," Astrid wasn't disagreeing. "You were right- we _do_ have synergy."

The Froakie giggled. "Well, you were the one with the advantage last time, so this time was my turn!"

Astrid's beak curled up a bit at their edges, but nonetheless she noted, "We gotta get Cobalt and ditch this place _fast_. If Salem is a Delphox, then I'd think a Psychic-type would be able to tell when one of their subordinates is in bad shape."

Arashi grinned awkwardly. "You're right- I don't think we'd be winning _that_ one, aha…!"

Carefully Astrid fluttered back down to the crevice's bottom surface, the two of them shortly scurrying inside the cave where Cobalt lied. They paused for just a second, giving the shattered wall and red-streaked shards a glance.

"You know…" Astrid's voice uncertainly trailed off, "… I don't think we should speak of _that _ever again…"

Arashi too looked visibly very uncomfortable. "… Agreed! _Nothing_ bad ever happened!" he fibbed to no one in particular.

The Dartrix was in accordance, quickly adding to it. "I just _happened_ to evolve!"

"And you just happened to shed a few feathers and leaves! We don't know whose blood that is!"

"_Exactly!_"

They shared another perturbed glance and nodded emphatically in agreement, but the next moment, Arashi was throwing his arms around the Dartrix and the Dartrix was reciprocating.

"I thought you were gonna die!" Arashi blurted out.

"I thought I was, too!" Astrid cried, slightly dismayed-sounding, in return.

"That was _terrifying!_"

"It _sucked!_"

They stayed in an embrace for a few moments before separating, both of them deflating with a deep breath out. No words needed to be said to convey their sentiments, but in a few moments, Arashi went back to eyeing the crystalline shards with an inquisitive look.

"Say, if _you_ were able to…" the Froakie's voice trailed off.

"I doubt that thing is in working order, but you should give it a try," Astrid mused.

Arashi hopped over, still with a careful bounce as if the shards would obtain a mind of their own and impale him next. Astrid eyed them too, wanting to see if they would somehow start talking again… but then she figured it wasn't the crystalline fixture itself that had probably been talking. Whatever the case, she had to wonder whose idea it had been to stick a crystalline spike jutting out at such a precarious angle, then brushed it off on account of Zariel's interference likely being a one-off.

"Um…" Arashi's voice trailed off, the Froakie glancing among the pieces (but trying not to look at the pool of blood), "Is this place still active…?"

"I heard it was called Luminous Cavern," Astrid called, "Maybe if you say its name…?"

"Luminous Cavern?" Arashi asked, reaching out and touching one of the shards. "Are you still… well, luminous? Can I evolve?"

He waited for a bit, Astrid watching, but his form didn't start glowing, nor was there any other response.

He glanced back to Astrid. "You heard a voice, right?"

"Y-yes."

"… I'm not hearing it."

"Is that… bad?"

He shrugged, turning and hopping back over to her. "No, but you were probably right- being broken apart like that probably means it won't work. And I have no idea how to fix an evolution spot, aha!"

She fluffed up a bit. "That freaking Charizard's Mega Punch…"

"Well, hey, if they're after you, the added strength is a good thing," Arashi brushed it off, then grinning, "But I'm gonna catch up with you! Being cute and bubbly is nice, but I wanna ditch this form at _some_ point!"

Astrid giggled slightly. "But Frogadier still has bubbles…"

"Yes, but they're _cooler_ bubbles!"

Astrid wasn't going to dissent. Without another word, they both strolled over to Cobalt, who was still passed out.

Arashi gave him a slight nudge. "Mr. Cobalt? You've gotta have some strength left; she couldn't have attacked you recently if you were alone when we came here," he mused while slipping the bag off and opening the flap.

The slightest bit of sound came from the Heracross- a pained, shallow sigh.

That was signal enough; the Froakie reached into the bag and retrieved their last Oran berry before holding Cobalt's mouth open and nudging the berry in. Whatever part of Cobalt's energy that had been missing returned, for he gulped down the berry fairly quickly and opened his eyes. The Heracross was on his feet in moments.

"Where is she?!" Cobalt exclaimed, glancing around, then looking at the Starstorm duo, "Did you two-…"

He paused on seeing Astrid.

"It's me, j-just a little b-bigger. The rumors were true," Astrid clarified.

That assuaged the Heracross. "…They were," then breaking into a smile, "I was puzzled for a second! I knew Arashi's friend was a Rowlet, but I just wanted to be sure!"

Arashi giggled. "What, did you think I'd replaced her for an upgraded one?" he jested.

"Oh, absolutely not!" Cobalt amiably brushed it off, "So you two saved me! I _knew_ it wasn't gonna be Blaze, but that crazy Charizard kept knocking me out every time I tried to leave! I was expecting a fight, but then she just swooped down from nowhere and made quick work of me!" then a bit more concerned, "Where _is_ she? You two didn't beat her, did you?"

The Froakie started beaming. "We sure did! She was tough, but Astrid made the clouds drop rain and that gave us the advantage!"

Cobalt started beaming too, holding up both arms for a high-five, which Arashi enthusiastically returned but Astrid followed suit in a much more subdued manner.

"D-did you know she was using you as lure…?" Astrid inquired, fluffing up a bit and brushing the leaves out of her face.

Cobalt eyed her a bit uncertainly. "What do you mean, a lure?"

"Sh-she's with Salem," Astrid shyly noted, "She's the Charizard subordinate. Sh-she told us outright."

The Heracross' eyes practically bulged out of his head. "_No way!_" he exclaimed, "We gotta get out of here before that crazy form of a Fennekin torches us, then! By the gods, I did _not_ anticipate that!"

All three were in agreement, and shortly they were scurrying back to Tranquil Town while Zariel stayed slumped in the cliffs, the Starstorm duo telling Cobalt all about their encounter and Cobalt in turn telling them all about his failed expedition. A chestnut or two ended up gone from the bag, on account of Cobalt having spent the vast majority of his time missing in an unconscious state with no time to procure a bite to eat. Nonetheless, he certainly seemed to be fine, even making remarks about Megahorning a Pupitar if one went skipping across the ground at them.

However, in the cliffs…

_Crack!_

Lightning flashed down among the pointed rocks and crags stretching towards the sky, the bolt drawn to a certain creature with a body made of cable-like limbs tied at strategic places with a glowing spiked ball for a head. It didn't come too close to Zariel either, but still studied her.

"… I did _not_ see that coming," its metallic voice mused.

* * *

Blaze was certainly happy when his partner returned, and the little sack of golden coins he turned over to Arashi and Astrid were quite nice too- around 500's worth, as Arashi counted. They stowed them in the bag for safe-keeping.

However, the news they brought back caused quite a stir. The town was shortly abuzz, everyone talking and chattering away to each other save for a few.

"You're not thinking of heading out there, are you?" Nez inquired of a certain Greninja, a bit concerned as he shielded himself from the rain with a leafy umbrella.

"I am," Kaminari replied. "_Someone_ has to- we can't just let these crazies run wild forever."

"She's right," Reina concurred, "_Someone_ has to. I'm much better at _telling_ someone how to battle than battling myself, or I would tag along."

"You could go tell the sheriff's office," Kaminari noted to the Vespiquen.

Reina thought that was as fine of an idea as any and shortly the Vespiquen was flitting off in that direction.

Astrid and Arashi, however, were likewise occupied by the matter. Their friends looked a bit antsy to talk to them, along with Veeko and Rina, but they didn't interrupt.

"Tell me _exactly_ what she said to you," said Niles, kneeling down and looking both the Dartrix and Froakie straight in the eye.

Astrid ruffled up a bit. "W-well, _her_ words, not mine… 'Because the one who sent you fucked up.' She wouldn't say any more."

Niles nodded. "And she said she'd been sent to guard 'the important things?'"

"Y-yes."

"And she referenced _a_ beast, not _the_ beast?"

The Dartrix nodded.

"Does that mean there's more than one?" Arashi inquired of his father.

"With that phrasing, it sounds like it." Niles answered, "But thankfully, only one seems to be familiar with Astrid, and I can only assume it's the same one that's been lurking about. And if this Zariel knows of it, that means it must _also_ be related to Salem one way or another."

Astrid whimpered a bit, not thrilled at the existence of _one_ and dreading a meeting with several if such was possible. Salem was just the awful cherry on top of a terrible cake.

"… It seems Salem is more nefarious than we'd thought," Niles deduced, thinking for a moment. "She's after something more than just causing massive amounts of damage if she's privy to… well, what we can't mention except among ourselves. That's also a likely explanation for the beast attacking Nez- trying to keep visibility on you low so she'd have an easier time obtaining you."

Astrid and Arashi knew exactly what confidential thing he referred to, and kept it quiet. Astrid ruffled up at the myriad of unknown connotations surrounding Salem's knowledge of it, not liking it in the least.

Nonetheless, Niles gave her a pat (and she couldn't help but notice that his hand could no longer curl around her like a ball). "Don't fret over this, dear. It _will_ get taken care of."

She nodded, and Niles gave them both a pat before standing back up and venturing over to Nez and Kaminari. Ace was joining them shortly too, and all four of them were talking amongst themselves.

Lila, Trixie, and Charlie quickly sprang upon the two of them, Veeko and Rina tagging along too.

"So it _was_ true!" Trixie cried, looking Astrid over.

"W-well, u-um…" Astrid stammered.

"Keyword there being 'was,'" Arashi quickly noted, "The spot got Mega Punched and it's not working anymore. Trust me, I tried it too."

_That_ certainly didn't assuage the Croagunk, for as soon as the words left Arashi's mouth, she let out a despairing cry towards the sky before collapsing onto her hands and knees and seeming to cry into the ground. Lila rolled her eyes and Charlie shook his head, but the Aipom's tail nonetheless gave the Croagunk a few pats on the back. Veeko's ears drooped a bit at the sudden outburst.

"That's a nice look you have there," Lila chuckled at the Dartrix.

"Th-thanks," Astrid replied, again fixing the leaves framing her face.

"Sheeeesh, you're already evolving and you didn't even know how to preen," Rina remarked, studying her skeptically.

The Dartrix fluffed up a bit, blushing beneath her feathers. "W-well, amnesia does that, I g-guess…"

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but Salem or not, I'm gonna go launch some Thunderbolts at the clouds over by the lake," the Jolteon mused, "You guys wanna tag along?"

Trixie instantly perked up from her ground-hugging and cry-yelling and quickly said, "Bonus points if you hit a Pelipper!"

Charlie's tail-hand gave her a shove and shut her up.

However, Nez and Kaminari's conversation had grown to include several more- Niles, Ace, and two Toxicroaks.

"You're gonna go out there and drag the 'Zard back?" Jax inquired, getting a bit shifty-eyed. "Got room for another~?"

The one next to him with a smaller vocal sac looked a bit shifty at the thought too, but mostly shook her head in amusement. "What, do you feel jilted about not getting to Sucker Punch an Excadrill, so now you're going for a 'Mon that's probably _way_ ahead of you?"

Trixie's father laughed. "You know how it is, Juno!"

"We are," Kaminari affirmed. "Me, Niles, and Ace. Do you want to come too?"

"Yes, _oh yes~!_" Jax chirped back, cracking his knuckles.

The Greninja looked to the other Toxicroak. "You, Juno?"

Juno shook her head. "Nah, I'll let y'all have fun. Someone's gotta stay here to Sucker Punch Salem if she shows her ugly face!"

Nez chuckled. "That makes two of us, Juno. And if that beastie goes after little Astrid again, maybe I can give it a proper walloping in return!"

"That's the only time I have _ever_ heard you excited about getting into a fight," the Staraptor noted of the Nidoking.

"Well, it takes a _lot_ to make me mad, but that beastie did it, and in record time too," Nez brushed it off.

"Seems we have our parameters covered in that case," Niles noted, "Reina at the sheriff's, you two here, and us four out _there_."

"We should go before she gets any strength back," Kaminari declared, giving the cliffs to the west and the sky a glance, "The rain's probably keeping her down longer. We can't waste that time."

No one was in disagreement.

"You four be careful," Nez said amiably, shifting his leafy umbrella a bit. "I don't want any of you to end up in the headlines."

"Don't worry about that," Kaminari wasn't fazed.

"Hold the fort down for us," Ace said.

Shortly they too were parting ways while the youngsters followed Lila off to the crags close to the lake. Rain or not, the cliffs still held Zariel, but someone _else_ was on the move.


	15. Chapter 15: Piecing it Together

The clouds had a few flashes among them that were shortly followed by rumbles, and the wild ones (save for a few scattered Caterpie and a lone Budew) had long since retreated to their crevices or hideaways. The rocky ground past the meadow was a bit slick, but it wasn't all that unfriendly to the four traversing it. Jax in particular seemed to rather enjoy the rain on his Dry Skin, and while none of the others (especially the two Water-types) seemed to mind the rain at all, Ace's feathers began clumping together in ways that made his otherwise imposing figure look a bit less than… majestic. Nonetheless, the terrain was largely empty, which lifted some of the need to be on guard.

The Staraptor piped up a bit, shaking a few water droplets from his face. "Say. Niles, Kaminari, I want to ask you two something, but I don't want to sound like the bad guy for asking it," Ace mused, brushing his crest a bit with the tip of one wing.

"Go on," Niles wasn't bothered.

"That Astrid girl… _She's_ not involved with Salem, is she? That timid nature isn't just an act?"

Jax looked surprised at the words leaving Ace's beak for a moment, but evidently didn't deem it necessary to voice such. Neither the Greninja or Inteleon seemed all that bothered, on the other hand, while the Staraptor seemed just a bit apprehensive after he finished his thought.

"_That_ kid? The one my Trixie plays with and talks about?" the Toxicroak mused with a laugh.

"She is a _fine_ actor if that's case, but I highly doubt that she is," Niles answered, considering Ace's inquiry for just a moment, "It _is_ odd that such strange happenings have accompanied her, but based on specifics that she has shared, and that I unfortunately can't repeat, it seems far more likely she's merely caught up in a nasty situation involving Salem and that beast."

The Staraptor seemed understanding, but still he inquired, "So there's no chance that she's actually an underling that can't remember her past? It's just that she must be valuable if they're targeting her, and I'm sure none of us want to be on the receiving end of Salem's wrath if Astrid somehow gets her memories back and _that's_ what she was doing before…"

"You're absolutely right, Ace- she _is_ very valuable, but for unrelated reasons," Niles affirmed. "Those reasons are classified and she would likely be extraordinarily uncomfortable if they were repeated, otherwise I would say."

Kaminari wasn't fazed at all. "If it turns out this _is_ an elaborate ruse, she's not getting very far," she declared, "But you've seen her- she freaks out at the mention of the beast and Salem. Even if she _was _involved somehow, it's safe to say she isn't anymore and probably wouldn't be if the chance came up."

Jax piped up again, wearing a questioning grin and giving Ace a playful nudge. "Damn, Ace! You and Toko were showing her how to fix her feathers when she first rolled up, and now you're being all suspicious~?!"

Ace chuckled, appearing more put at ease by the information. "I'm not _suspicious_, I'm just _concerned_. I've got nothing against an amnesiac stray Rowlet- er, Dartrix, it's just that I want the bases covered," he replied to the contrary, "And if you say so, I believe it," he said to the other two.

_Crack!_

A bolt of lightning dropped down into the cliffs rising up to their west, perhaps attracted to a Rhydon's Lightning Rod or just touching the nearest tall object. It garnered a few glances, though none of concern… right away, anyway. The rain made visibility among the rocky edges limited; however, one thing _was_ visible: a brightly glowing orb that seemed to be hurriedly bobbing up and down in another direction. The bolt seemed to rain down straight onto it as if it had been attracted to it.

"Hold it," Niles said quickly, his eyes becoming shrouded by a black membrane on either one.

The other three paused.

"What's up? We got company?" Jax inquired, grinning just a bit at the thought.

Kaminari perked up at Niles' apprehension and turned her attention to the cliffs to study them too, although she couldn't get as well of a look.

"… Maybe," said the Inteleon, still eyeing the glowing orb.

The black lenses definitely made on thing clear about the orb bobbing along- that it wasn't an orb but rather a spiked ball, and that it was attached to a body seemingly made of black wires that sparked with electrical energy. It seemed to be running the opposite direction of Overgrown Crevice, but rather towards the meadow, in a fairly haphazard stride.

"You see that glowing orb bouncing around? If my eyes don't deceive me, that's Astrid's beast," Niles clarified. "And heavens, she was not lying."

That perked the other two up, Jax's fingers clenching up just a bit in half of a fist. Kaminari too formed just a little Water Shuriken in one hand.

"You can see it?!" Jax exclaimed.

"Clear as day," Niles answered, "It's got a spiked glowing head that's showing up even to us down here, and its body is made of black wires bound together to make it bipedal. It fits her description exactly."

"Does it look like a Pokémon at all?" Ace wanted to know, likewise eyeing the glowing ball in vain.

"None that I've ever seen," said the Inteleon.

"Should we go after it? There's four of us; we can probably take it," mused Jax.

"It better hope those wires are strong if it comes down here," Kaminari remarked, a small Water Shuriken forming in her hand.

Niles shook his head, still keeping a watch on it. "It's running off somewhere else and doesn't seem to be concerned with us. We should prioritize Zariel for now; she's the one that's easiest to deal with as it currently stands."

That seemed reasonable to all of them present.

Nonetheless, everyone kept their guard up just in case it or anyone else showed. The glowing ball bobbed up and down a few more times before vanishing behind another rock face with the rest of its glow obscured in the rain. The only indication of its location came from another bolt dropping from the sky that seemed to connect with it again.

Another cracking sound filled the air closer to town when Lila's Thunderbolt shot off into the clouds, the Jolteon skittering about with fur sticking straight up like needles.

"Gyahhh! _Scatter!_" she shouted at the puffy shapes overhead.

A few Magikarp jumped about in the water, apparently enjoying the droplets dripping down from overhead. The youngsters on the land weren't protesting the rain, though Charlie's fur began to look a bit clumped together and the feathers of Astrid and Rina started bunching together. The Dartrix thought it felt nice on her leafy ornaments, however.

"If a Gyarados comes out and Hyper Beams you, you're on your own," Charlie remarked at the Jolteon.

"H-has that ever _happened?_" Astrid wanted to know.

Lila didn't seem to care much if a Gyarados aimed a Hyper Beam at her or not, for her fur was still sparking and she was grinning. Veeko seemed a bit unnerved at the loud sounds that kept booming out whenever lightning filled the clouds, but Rina seemed to think the flashes were pretty (from a distance, of course). Astrid, Arashi, and Charlie kept their distance, while Trixie had her eyes glued to the sky and pointed out every avian creature that flew over with a mischievous smirk. (Lila, though, did not attack them.)

"Only once, a long time ago," Arashi brushed it off, "Just don't accidentally drop a Blast Seed on one, and you'll be fine!"

Astrid certainly hadn't been planning on it.

"So how was it?" the Aipom inquired of the Dartrix, "Evolving, I mean. Did it feel weird?"

Astrid ruffled up a bit, and Arashi too started looking a bit uncertain at having it brought up. They both pretended that absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had accompanied it.

"I-is it supposed to?" Astrid inquired.

"Well, Lila said it's a little odd having your body morph so fast and so suddenly, but it's fun at the same time," Charlie clarified.

"W-well… I didn't think it was _fun_, that's for sure…" Astrid said to the contrary, knowing _that much_ at least was true. "N-not that I'm p-protesting being a Dartrix, but…"

Her eyes shifted aside to Arashi for a second, whom she could easily tell was thinking the same thing she was: that no, it had _not_ been fun. The only one having any fun there had been Zariel and definitely not the Starstorm duo.

"… Guess I'll have to wait and see," Charlie mused. "Having _two_ tail-hands might be nice…"

"I call dibs on the next evolution spot, though!" Trixie declared, shooting them a glance backwards, "And if it gets Mega Punched, somebody's getting Sucker Punched!"

"You don't even know Sucker Punch," Lila playfully chided.

"I'll learn it fast!" the Croagunk shot her down.

Nonetheless, a few Wingull went flapping over the water and grabbed Trixie's attention, to which Lila and Charlie both got hapless looks while Rina too squawked a few protests. The Jolteon nonchalantly waited for them to fly over before shooting another bolt off at the clouds with glee.

Astrid got a slight grin to her beak and tilted her head sideways while musing, "Is… is this what Electric-types do for fun?"

"It sure is!" Lila called back to her, then up at the sky, "Are you gonna drop one on me or not?! It's fun to Volt Absorb a few too, y'know!"

"Oh, c'mon, you sure like nestling up in a basket way more than anyone else I've ever seen," Arashi jested, then, "Y'know what? That basket's probably too small for you now, aha!"

Astrid had to admit, that much was also true.

Nonetheless, watching the clouds wasn't all that bad of a way to unwind (except for Veeko and his drooping ears at the sound of thunder), and Lila certainly seemed to enjoy yelling at them (even if it was utterly futile). So long as more unwanted visitors didn't turn up, it seemed like the trouble was past and things would indeed get taken care of… at least, if all went well.

However, at the crevice, while three figures poked about in the cave while a Staraptor gave the surroundings a look from above…

"Oh, hot damn!" Jax cried, "What happened _here?!_"

The congealed blood had started to blend in with the brownish tones of the rocky cave, but its sticky feel was still there when the unsuspecting Toxicroak stepped on it while glancing at the shattered crystalline shards. The tan-colored feathers and two halves of a Rowlet's leafy bow left little to the imagination on who it belonged to, and Jax quickly stepped back from it.

"What's wrong?" Kaminari inquired, strolling over the cracked rubble of the broken wall. Then, shortly on noticing what was wrong, called, "_Niles!_"

The Inteleon darted over from inspecting the burnt surface of the cave floor and likewise was surprised.

Kaminari carefully picked up one half of the red-covered leafy bow and looked at the feathers mixed in among the half-dried pool with her mouth slightly open. "They didn't mention _this!_"

"Maybe they just didn't wanna talk about it…? I mean, that looks pretty nasty, ehe," Jax awkwardly mused, shrugging with a hapless grin.

Niles studied the leafy bow and the pool it came out of, a bit wide-eyed for a moment. "It isn't a splatter, so it's more in line with a stabbing or gashing sort of attack…" he mused, looking it all over, "But it's all isolated in one place with no streaks across the ground, which means she would have been stationary…"

He looked over the shards littering the ground and instantly noticed one with a red trickle along its length, and his face fell as he picked it up. The Inteleon's gaze drifted up to a portion of the cave wall with some crystalline remnants clinging to the otherwise unremarkable stone making up the rest of it.

"What're you getting?" Kaminari inquired.

"… Arceus above, _that_ is downright unfortunate," Niles remarked flatly, then turning back to the other two present, "They said the evolution spot was Mega Punched by Zariel, yes? Well, it definitely was, but clearly, Astrid was Mega Punched along _with_ it, and these shards here would indicate that she somehow was _impaled_ on it going off of the shapes of the streams… which is why there would be only _one_ pool of blood. Judging by the color of these feathers, since Dartrix's plumage is different, she had not yet evolved, so that would likely put evolution shortly after the injury, meaning the spot also had to have broken around the same time. In other words… what a way to reach the next form."

Jax blinked. "Well, that's one hell of a Mega Punch…"

Kaminari's eyes grew narrower and narrower at the explanation while she glared down at the reddish-brown pool. "I shouldn't be surprised at one of Salem's cronies, but that just pisses me off…"

"Me too, dear," Niles remarked coolly in spite of his words.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps and wings flapping from outside grabbed their attention, where Ace landed outside the cave opening and strode in before shaking some of the water off of his plumage.

"She's in the cliffs slightly northwest from here, and she's still down and alone," said the Staraptor. "Her tail is still burning, but it's faint."

"And I'd _love_ to put it out," Kaminari remarked, immediately making for the cave opening.

Jax giggled mischievously, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, me too~"

"You didn't get sight of the beast anywhere close by, did you?" Niles inquired of Ace.

The Staraptor shook his head.

"I'll slice _that_ one apart, too," the Greninja wasn't bothered in any case.

She certainly seemed intent on doing just that, and Jax wasn't all that far behind.

Whatever the case, Kaminari set to quickly scaling the crevice and the cliffs with no trouble while Ace allowed Niles on his back and clutched up Jax in his talons before flying off in the same direction. A few more cracks of lightning lit up the blackened sky, and further off a few bolts seemed to be coming from the ground, but that could be surmised as Lila's doing easily enough. It wasn't a friendly environment for a Fire-type to be hanging around in, that was for sure.

Nonetheless, it shortly became apparent that indeed there was a Charizard slumped on the rock faces higher up with a tail just smoldering above a slight ember, definitely not indicative of good health. She still wasn't moving, though it appeared her expression was stuck in a glare, perhaps the face she had been making before falling out of consciousness. She didn't look outright threatening, but the reputation that preceded her made all four of the ones approaching her take a bit of caution as they came closer.

"Are we gonna finish her or drag her back with us~?" Jax inquired, not seeming all that bothered by either one of those options.

Both seemed equally feasible, but it shortly appeared that neither would be happening as easy as they had thought when a slight snarl and a puff of smoke came from the Charizard's maw and made everyone pause. Kaminari prepared to throw her attack, Niles pointed a single finger at their target with his thumb pointed upwards, Jax balled up his fists, and Ace crouched down a bit with his wings slightly spread.

"Are you Zariel?!" Niles quickly called.

The Charizard's eyes shot open at the sound of her name, and she began to stir. "You know who _I_ am, but who the fuck are _you?_" she coldly but slyly replied, picking herself up and turning her gaze on the entourage, then to no one in particular and looking up at the sky in what looked like an aimless call, "Thanks for waking me! I just _hate_ missing company!"

Even if her tail was dim, she started smirking and flashing her claws again. Her call to seemingly no one put them on edge as to who it might entail.

"You _really_ aren't in a good position to be asking questions, you know that?" Ace shot back.

The Charizard laughed, a few tiny black clouds of smoke coming from her nostrils without a hint of flame attached. She looked them over, one eye narrowing and her fangs glinting even in the subdued light. "Let me guess. This is about those two little runts, isn't it? That grinning little Froakie, at least.~ I know that scared little ball of feathers doesn't belong to anyone, and if it was up to me, she'd be a pile of ash right now."

"The Froakie and the Dartrix are both ours," said Niles, still keeping a finger pointed at her. "And we know why you want Astrid. There's absolutely no way you can spin your motives that make them anything less than malicious."

Zariel chuckled, her other eye narrowing and her fangs getting bared even more as her smirk spread. She wasn't up for battle, they could tell, but the way her claws were twitching indicated that she just might try to start one regardless. "_You_ know why we want her, Wise Guy?" she taunted without a care, "Do you _really~?_ Because unless you've _seen_ the other world, which you obviously _haven't_, then you don't. Cut the bluffing; it's pathetic."

At the mention of 'the other world,' all four of the ones confronting her had to pause for a second.

"_What_ other world? The Distortion World? You seem like you'd be right at home there," Jax remarked, eyes narrowing at the Charizard.

Kaminari wasn't dissuaded either. "It's not a _bluff_," she shot back, "You're trying to upset the world's balance again, plain and simple. _That's_ what's pathetic."

Zariel laughed again. "Of _course_ we are," she brushed it off, "That much should be obvious. If you were smart, you'd realize how useless it is to go after me and my comrades."

Niles' eyes narrowed next. "And just who _are_ your comrades and what is this 'other world?' Do you and that beast have connections?"

Zariel looked as blissful as blissful could be while still having wild eyes and flashing claws just begging to rip into someone's throat. "I'm not gonna tell you a _damn_ thing.~ Hopefully you're smart; go figure it out. Matter of fact, go and tell the sparky motherfucker that zapped the little ball of feathers I said hi. I'm sure it'll zap _you_ all to hell and back too."

However, the Charizard started to turn away from them as if she were going to fly away, even though she seemed in no shape to be doing so. One of Kaminari's Water Shurikens sped past Zariel's head and just barely scraped her cheek, clearly intended to miss from the start.

"Where do you think you're going?" said the Greninja, "You can't outrun us in that shape."

And again, the Charizard was cackling, glancing backwards. "I don't _have_ to outrun you, Slicey! Feel free to pray to your gods, but they can't save you!"

At that moment, something besides the clouds lit up, for the air itself behind Zariel seemed to fracture with brightly glowing cracks that gave way to what looked like a portal… a wormhole of sorts. Zariel's face practically lit up with malicious glee at the sight of it.

"What the fu-!" Jax cried, shielding his eyes from the brightness.

"What _is_ that?!" Ace was likewise surprised. "That's no Teleport!"

Niles loosed a Snipe Shot at the Charizard and Kaminari sent a flurry of Water Shurikens, but their effects were something no one could see before Zariel was swallowed up. The glowing rift closed and the air pieced itself back together, leaving their surroundings with absolutely no trace of the snarling draconian figure that had been there moments before.

"Is she gone?!" Ace cried, his gaze darting around their surroundings.

She wasn't _present_, that was for sure.

Four sets of eyes scanned their surroundings for any trace of Zariel or the wormhole, but none could be found. She had simply up and disappeared.

"That's not normal, is it?!" Jax said uncertainly.

"Absolutely not," Niles said flatly, eyes narrowing at the space she'd disappeared. "The closest that comes to mind is a Gardevoir summoning a small black hole, but even then, that's not even _remotely_ similar to what we just saw."

"So Salem's underlings have abnormal capabilities too," Kaminari remarked with a slight snarl to her voice, "Good to know."

"But they're _beatable,_" Ace added.

"We've got more questions, but we've also got answers, and none of us are in grave condition," said Niles, "That's progress. We should take it for what it is."

All four of them could agree on that, and shortly the entourage was heading back down the cliffs and back to town, nonetheless keeping their guard up in case any of Zariel's 'comrades' decided to show themselves in her absence. The glow of the Beast was nowhere to be found, either.

* * *

One thing was certain, the Starstorm duo got a well-deserved rest the following night and woke up chipper the next day. Try as she might to wedge herself in her basket, Astrid couldn't quite fit and had to settle for the shelf itself (which made Arashi giggle as she twisted and turned in all sorts of ways), but it didn't bother her _too_ much. One way or another, she ended up roosting peacefully, and Arashi curled up with no trouble.

Thankfully, the Dartrix didn't hear any more strange voices calling while she slept, full of static or not.

"You awake?" came the quieter freshly-awake voice of Arashi when the two of them started rustling around the next morning.

"Yeah," was Astrid's subdued answer as she rubbed her eyes just a bit with the tips of her wings.

Shortly the Froakie hopped up and turned the lantern on, and the Dartrix jumped down from her perch. As usual, Arashi was already grinning.

"Sheesh, that was a ridiculous day yesterday, wasn't it?" Arashi mused.

"_Absolutely_ ridiculous…" Astrid agreed.

"You up for another expedition today?"

"Y-yeah. You?"

"Always!"

The two of them strolled out through the room's curtain door, and as usual, Niles and Kaminari seemed to have been up and stirring for quite some time. Niles organized the contents of a bag, while Kaminari had a set of papers in one hand that she looked over.

"Morning, dears," said the Inteleon.

"Morning!" Arashi chirped back.

"M-morning," said Astrid.

"You two, get over here. I've got something you'll want to see," said Kaminari.

The two youngsters did so, quickly hopping up on the table to see what was up. She put the pages down flat so they could see it, and Arashi's eyes were lighting up almost instantly. Astrid didn't see anything grandiose save for a simple (albeit pretty) letter and started reading it from the top, but her comrade squealed in happiness and grabbed one of her wings before she could get past the first sentence.

"Look at this! Look at who signed it! Astrid, we gotta frame this and keep it forever! Maybe even build a shrine to it!" Arashi cried happily.

"H-hm?" she was confused.

Niles laughed while stowing a few seeds in his bag. "You might try reading it first, Arashi. _Then_ you can build a shrine to it."

Astrid was already doing so.

"I send my greetings and I thank you for your message.

"First, I must apologize for the delay in my response. As I'm sure you are aware, Team Aeroslash had a run-in with the wanted criminal Salem and were left in critical and questionable condition for quite some time. Immediately after the fact, I spent a considerable duration attempting to get information from their memories, and this task occupied me for quite a while. As if that weren't enough, I was also needed to calm one of the so-called 'crazy Pokémon' that have been cropping up, and this too occupied me with gleaning information from their minds. However, I did receive your letter, and I fully intended to reply to it as soon as possible.

"That being said, though I am sure you are also privy, humans-turned-Pokémon are extremely rare occurrences and this information should be contained as best as possible, both for this former human in question and for whatever purpose she is now a Pokémon for. There will always be those with ill intentions, and a simple stray Rowlet is far less likely to attract those than a Rowlet claiming to be a human, especially in this time with mounting concern over Salem's syndicate. I cannot say for sure that any factors are linked, but going off of previous incidences, it certainly seems likely that the human in your care was turned into her current form in response to, or as a result of, the happenings of late. We are working to get to the bottom of this as well, and if Astrid happens to recall or come across any specific details, do let us know. We would love to hear from her.

"I should note, my psychic abilities allow me to scan the minds of those even not in my immediate vicinity, and I have been doing just that to gauge this conundrum. Aside from Astrid, Nez, and those inhabiting Brushwood Tangle, I can see no one else having an encounter with this 'beast.' I can also confirm that indeed, it is no known species of Pokémon, but what it truly _is_, is another matter. This creature is hiding itself very well, and seems to have another keeping it shrouded from my observation, for I cannot read its mind (assuming it has one to read). Had you not alerted me, I likely would not have known, and I will certainly be keeping watch for any more of its antics. I should also note, on a similar topic, that although I can scan minds, I will likely be no help in regaining Astrid's memories. More often than not, they are gone for a reason, and even I cannot help recalling those that are locked away by beings outside of my power (whatever 'being' that may entail- there are quite a few that are applicable). Alas, I cannot give her instruction to reclaim them, either, as that too is a complicated subject.

"All that said, if you need help in any way, please do contact us. As for the two small ones, Rush too saw your letter while I was writing this reply and sends his regards to 'Little Blue' and 'Little-little Green' (yes, he knows their names, but for whatever reason, is choosing not to use them). I will not include his exact words since they are laced with profanity.

"With regards, Adnea the Researcher, Expedition Coalition.

"P.S.: I now see that the Rowlet is a Dartrix as I go to mail this. Send her my congratulations; I'm sure it is a lovely form. Also, their feat against Zariel was impressive."

The bottom portion of the last page did indeed bear the Expedition Coalition's name, which Astrid guessed was what Arashi had been so worked up over. The 'Adnea' that had authored the letter incorporated a small star into the text making up her signature, and below it was a small doodle of an Orbeetle that seemed to be casting the star like a magical spell. Likewise, the whole thing was quite pretty with fancy and wispy writing making up the letter's message.

Arashi barely seemed to skim over it and instead just gazed at the signature on the bottom with sparkling, entranced eyes. It was as if the little drawing of the Orbeetle had used Hypnosis.

Kaminari gave Astrid a slight pat on the wing. "I knew they wouldn't be forgetting you."

"A-ah, s-so…" Astrid was slightly uncertain about the whole thing, "The beast is hiding from them, too… And… I'm… O-oh, Arceus above…"

"This! Is! _Awesome!_" Arashi cried, clapping his hands together in glee, "I _knew_ it! Just think about it, Astrid! Team Starstorm, saving the world from Salem and the crazies! This is _great!_"

She ruffled her feathers out. "D-don't you think it's a little soon for that?!"

Arashi beamed, throwing his arms around her. "Nope! _Not at all!_ We beat one of Salem's underlings, my heroes remember us, and one of them called us impressive! Yesterday and today are ranking in like, my top three favorite days behind seeing my heroes in action in Tranquil Tunnel!"

"D-did you even _have_ a favorite day before all that?!"

"Nope! Guess I picked the right time to start, aha!"

The Dartrix wasn't so sure about that. It seemed as though every time her comrade started celebrating something, it was _always_ accompanied by something god-awful happening. She couldn't make sense of it no matter how hard she tried, but in any case, she couldn't help but haplessly deflate again.

"Adnea's the smart one, so if _she_ says it, it must be true," Arashi mused happily, letting go of his comrade.

Kaminari chuckled. "Well, if the Orbeetle species is known for one thing, it's intelligence," then to Astrid, "At the very least, that's another set of eyes keeping watch for you."

"If no one else can get to the bottom of this, _they_ can," Niles added. "One way or another, it _will_ get solved."

Astrid nodded. "I'm glad about _that_, at least…"

Arashi was certainly glad, for he began gently poking at the last page as if to see if it was real and beaming when it didn't disappear. Astrid couldn't help but be a bit amused at his mannerisms; there was a fanboy in front of her if she'd _ever_ seen one- and amnesia or not, she was sure she probably _hadn't_ seen such a flagrant one in her human life.

"I am keeping these pages _forever,_" the Froakie declared, tucking them under one arm and jumping down off the table. "This is _too good!_"

Astrid blinked as he bounded off in into their room with them, probably to paste them to the wall somewhere to admire them or tuck them under his cushion to cuddle them at night. Both of his parents grinned haplessly.

"… Where does he get it from? It isn't from me," Kaminari remarked in jest.

"Certainly not me; the Sobble line is known for the _opposite_ of enthusiasm," Niles chuckled.

Sure enough, Arashi returned without them, and Astrid didn't bother figuring out if he had somehow built them a shrine in thirty seconds or not. (She assumed the answer was no.)

"Well, I'm off," said Niles, "You two be careful out there; I don't want to see my son and his friend in the headlines if any more of Salem's comrades come your way."

"Don't worry, Dad! We'll be fine!" Arashi brushed it off.

Kaminari and Niles exchanged a hug, and the Inteleon set off to whatever secretive business he had to attend to.

Astrid and Arashi were setting off before long too, the Froakie looking happy as they strolled across the sand.

"Alright! Third day of being Team Starstorm!" the Froakie exclaimed. "Yesterday was a success; we gotta keep the streak going!"

Astrid chuckled. "You're keeping count?"

"Of course!"

She wasn't protesting it, though she did wonder at what point Arashi would _lose_ count.

The sky was clear unlike the day before, and no Croagunk was waiting to Astonish them at the top of the steps (nor was anyone else, for that matter). Nez of course gave them a wave and a happy greeting, and the two youngsters returned it.

"S-so, are we using the bulletin board today?" Astrid inquired.

"Yup! Unless something comes up!"

The Dartrix's beak curled up just a bit at the edges. "So does that mean if you go trying to pick a request in a 99-floor dungeon, I get to yell at you?"

Arashi gave her a playful nudge. "I'm not _that_ dumb!"

"I didn't _actually_ think you were," Astrid noted with another playful nudge.

They shortly saw the three familiar faces of Lila, Trixie, and Charlie, the Jolteon giving a pointed look at the Croagunk and the Aipom shrugging.

"Morning, guys!" Arashi called.

Lila gave them a nod and Charlie a wave while Trixie shot them a shifty grin.

"Setting off again today?" Lila inquired.

"Yep!" Arashi said with no trouble.

"Then there's one request you might wanna see," said the Jolteon. "It'd probably be right up your alley."

"And if you feel like taking a buddy with you, feel free~" Trixie chirped.

Charlie gave her a side-eye, to which the Croagunk giggled mischievously. Astrid tilted her head to the side while Lila gave Trixie nudge with one paw.

"Really? Show us which one!" Arashi wasn't protesting.

The Jolteon strolled over to the board with the others close behind, then stood up on her hind legs to retrieve one sheet which she set down on the ground for the others to look at.

"You should take meeeeee~" Trixie chirped, sticking her arms around both Astrid and Arashi.

"Hold on just one second," Arashi brushed her off, grinning nonetheless.

Astrid carefully looked this one over, too. The top of it read "Someone get this crazy Clefable out of here!" along with a location of "Chasm Edge 14F."

Both she and the Froakie carefully read the letter below it.

"Me and my friends tried to venture into Chasm Edge to collect some Dusk Stones, since we quite like the dark essence they give off. Normally, this would not be a problem, but when we reached the final floor, this Clefable outright tried to kill us! She waggled her finger to use Metronome, and of all the moves she could've used, she used Fissure and knocked us out! We lost all of our Dusk Stones, but we can't go back to get any more since she's been camping on that last floor and kicking everyone out before they can clear the dungeon! Please, someone get her out of here; I don't care who! Just come see me at the black cottage overlooking the hillside in Crescent Ridge after you're done giving her the thrashing she deserves, and I'll give you something nice. Signed, Niko the Houndoom."

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other.

"That… sounds a little precarious," Astrid mused.

"So was Zariel, and we did just fine!" Arashi said with a grin.

"You're not wrong…" the Dartrix acknowledged.

Trixie started grinning and stuck her arms around them again. "You know what type Clefable is, right~? And you know what type is good against those pretty fairies~? And you also know what type _I_ am~?"

Her eyes kept growing wider and wider with shifty happiness as the words left her mouth. They both knew exactly what she was angling for, but Lila stepped in before they could say anything.

"Hey, didn't we already agree we'd go battle some Deinos and Boldores in Tranquil Tunnel today? That's way more accessible than venturing off to Chasm Edge," said the Jolteon.

"Wouldn't you rather see a dungeon full of baby dragons and sentient rocks?" Charlie added.

Apparently, that did indeed seem more attractive to the Croagunk, for she eased up and said, "Well, when you put it _that_ way…~"

Arashi chuckled. "You guys have your fun, and we'll see you when we get back!" then turning to Astrid, "You up for this one?"

The Dartrix nodded.

Trixie, however, gave them both another pointed look. "If there's more than evolution _stones_ there, I'm Poison Stinging the both of you if you don't tell me!"

Arashi laughed. "Don't worry, Trixie!"

Arashi folded up the paper that Lila had retrieved and stowed it in the bag, giving a gleeful clap of his hands afterwards. Astrid smiled a bit too, though she had to wonder about the logistics of getting into a battle with a furious finger-waggling Clefable. The Rhyperior hadn't been fun, but… surely this one couldn't be _that_ bad. At least, she definitely hoped so.

* * *

_**Author's note**: I am just going to note this as a heads-up. I am not currently in class, thus I will be working on this story a bit more outside of the 'weekend' designation. However, I am a few months away from a VERY important examination, and I do need to prioritize studying for that over basically everything else at the moment. I would certainly like to continue my schedule thus far of completing a new chapter each week, as I am still having great fun working on this story, but due to my academic commitment, I cannot make any guarantees. Therefore, if things begin to slow down, that is the reason why._


	16. Chapter 16: Glitter and Skitter

There were no vicious Charizards in the cliffs, just a Rhyhorn that forgot to change directions and ended up smashing through a boulder. The Larvitar that had been munching on said boulder gave a small cry in protest, waggling its tiny fist in the air as the much bigger rocky creature raced past it, then went right back to munching on one of the smaller pieces. A nesting Mandibuzz tending a little Vullaby gave Astrid and Arashi a glance as the Dartrix too sailed through the air with her comrade firmly grasped in her talons, and Astrid eyed them too in caution while Arashi watched the ground below.

"You… you'll be able to tell where this place is… right…?" Astrid asked her comrade, a bit unconvinced of what answer he might give.

"Of course!" Arashi chirped back, then with a playful smirk, "You've said it yourself- I _am_ the native, aren't I?"

Astrid scrambled for just a bit at the jest. "W-well, th-that's not…! I didn't mean it like-…!"

Her comrade laughed. "Don't worry! Everything looks different from above; you're just being cautious!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

The bag was slightly heavier around her friend, but she didn't mind too much on account of her newly-larger form. Two more Oran berries and a Blast Seed sat nestled in the bag, all three procured from the Kecleon Shop before departing the town, and Astrid made a careful mental note of their inventory- 3 chestnuts, one Pecha and two Oran berries, one Blast and one Heal Seed. She hoped they wouldn't run into too much trouble that necessitated using them, but of course, there was no telling. She had also deduced that yes, the Kecleons did indeed just talk in sing-song voices all the time, which intrigued her just a bit (but she didn't think too much about it).

In any case, both Astrid and Arashi deduced that flying would likely be less time-consuming than walking the entire way to Chasm Edge, and yet again, the tops of the cliffs started to look closer than they did from the ground while the ground itself started to resemble a patchwork quilt. Overgrown Crevice was easily visible, as was an expanse of trees covering the ground further north from it. The cliffs died down just a bit to a hillier scene than the one with gargantuan rocks jutting out of the ground, but still, the landscape was far from being flat.

"Alright, so you'll see the trees starting to clear out just a little bit on the edge of one curve-shaped cliff, and that's Crescent Ridge," Arashi noted of the surroundings down below. "If you start going west, you'll see another rocky hill, and on the south side is the opening to Chasm Edge."

"Gotcha," Astrid replied.

She veered west in her flight.

"So what can we expect to see there? Do you know?" the Dartrix inquired.

"I'm not too sure, honestly!" Arashi cheerfully replied. "I know it feels kinda mystical, and I know my mom's been here a few times, but I couldn't tell you specifics. Guess we get to find out together!"

Astrid supposed that they would, one way or another. Still, her primary concern was the Clefable they'd be meeting inside- and if they too would get Fissured into oblivion. The odds of that were ridiculously low, she figured, so she brushed the thought off, even if it also brought to mind the slightly greater odds of her summoning a Fire Blast or Zap Cannon in comparison.

In any case, Arashi was right, she soon figured out, for off in the distance the opposite way they were going, she could see what appeared to be a crescent-shaped drop off of a cliff with sparser trees and a few little cottages of various shapes and sizes poking out between the foliage. She couldn't see any cave entrances from her vantage point, but the hills themselves were easy enough to pick out. They were still rather green, but crag certainly poked up through the grass.

"So… is it _just_ Dusk Stones that you can find here…?" the Dartrix mused. "Or can we find other ones…?"

Arashi giggled. "Well, it'd be great if we _could_ find more! Those things are valuable, and Veeko would probably like to keep a stash of them! All else fails, I'll use them to make my shrine to the Expedition Coalition!"

She cast an incredulously amused glance downward. "Y-you're not _serious_, are you?!"

Her friend grinned. "No, of course not! I'm keeping that paper under my cushion where it's safe and cozy!"

… She almost wanted to question whether or not he actually thought the letter was a sentient being that had the capacity to feel 'cozy,' but decided that no, he wasn't quite _that_ insane. Fanatical, sure, but not insane.

Nonetheless, after a bit more scanning about, the both of them noticed an opening on the side of one hill that was rather tall in comparison to the surrounding ones, a cave seeming to open up on what indeed was a chasm about halfway up its height. Astrid glided over to the flattened edge of the drop and set her comrade down before landing herself.

She carefully peeked over the edge and saw the ground sloping downwards for about a hundred meters, rocks interspersed with trees and grass trying to overtake all of it. An Ariados crawled around the steep incline, but didn't seem all that bothered enough to come confront them.

The both of them looked at the opening, which lead into immediate darkness.

"Ready?" Arashi inquired.

"M-hm. You?"

"Yeah!"

That was good enough for the both of them and they strolled inside, the sunlight from outside quickly getting drowned out by the inner darkness of the cave.

**Chasm Edge 1F**

The air felt damp inside, and it was fairly dim, but after walking inside far enough for the opening to vanish from view, some glowing crystals shed a gently shimmering light on their surroundings. Astrid almost mistook them for the beginning of another Boldore's Power Gem, but the soft blues and pinks and greens were far from threatening. Droplets of water dripped off of a few rocky spikes on the ceiling, occasionally filling the room with a soft echo as they hit the ground. 'Kinda mystical' had been an accurate description.

There were two corridors to pick from, one in front of them and one to the left, both only slightly illuminated by the glowing rocks embedded in the walls.

"Hah! This place is pretty!" Arashi cried happily.

"It _is_ pretty nice…" Astrid had to admit, eyeing the different colors splashed across the walls and floor. She quite liked their hues cast about.

Arashi glanced between the corridors. "Which way do you think?"

She thought for a moment, then glanced at the one to the left. "This one."

She strolled in, her comrade hopping closely behind.

Astrid soon realized, thankfully, that she could still swivel her head around in her new form when what sounded like small footsteps pattering away graced her ears. Arashi seemed to notice too, for he gave a quick glance backwards, but didn't pay it any mind. If something was there, neither one of them saw it, and the Dartrix turned her head forward again.

"If there's someone following us, I swear…" Astrid's voice trailed off.

"Maybe they just wanna say hello but they're shy!" Arashi wasn't fazed too much.

… Maybe. Highly unlikely, but _maybe_.

Nonetheless, the next room wasn't all that visible from the corridor until they strolled into it, and when they did, something akin to a soft musical note filled the air next. A quick glance upwards revealed the source thereof- a startled Chimecho clinging to the ceiling from the sucker on its head, which it then shook loose. Astrid immediately had a cautious eye on it, holding her wings out ready to strike, and her comrade wasn't too far behind in his mannerisms though he still wore a grin.

"A Psychic-type! Figures we'd see one!" the Froakie mused.

The Chimecho let out another pleasant-sounding (but still blatantly aggressive from its furrowing eyes) cry, and as it did so, a wave of purple wispy energy spread out from it that looked akin to a soundwave, but carried a psychic essence. Astrid shook some leaves loose from her wings and sent them flying at their wild company, the Chimecho trying to float out of the way but its long tail getting sliced while Arashi darted out of the Extrasensory's way.

"Was that a Razor Leaf?!" Arashi happily exclaimed to his comrade. "Guess those sharper feathers gave you sharper leaves!"

Astrid gave a flap upwards, narrowly avoiding the wave of energy. "W-well, I guess so!"

The Chimecho certainly wasn't too happy about that, for it threw itself to Take Down the Dartrix while Arashi rushed it in a Quick Attack. The Froakie knocked it off of Astrid's path, and the Dartrix landed on the ground again while Arashi found himself tangled in the streamer-like tail. He tried to unfurl from it, but… a problem soon manifested with such.

"Hey!" Arashi cried, trying to writhe free. "C'mon now- kiyaaah-…!"

The tail tightened, Wrapping him up and preventing him from darting away again. The Chimecho made some more intonations, much louder than before and causing a great Uproar of sound to reverberate around the room. Arashi flinched at being so close, and Astrid too found it less than pleasant with the sounds ringing in her head.

"No, you _cannot_ have my friend," Astrid nonetheless remarked flatly at the Chimecho, sending another Razor Leaf at its tail.

The sharp leaves sailing straight for him made Arashi let out a startled cry, but thankfully, the Dartrix had better aim than to strike him. The Chimecho made a cry that they were sure would've been a growl if didn't sound like a pleasant instrument, and unfurled its grip on the Froakie in a recoil of pain. Immediately Arashi disentangled himself and shot a Water Pulse at it, which made it fall motionlessly to the floor with one last little tinkling sound.

"Sheesh, I didn't think something so pretty and flat could have a grip like that! Remind me not to tangle with those things!" Arashi chuckled haplessly, shaking himself off albeit with a slightly dulled expression.

Astrid gave her feathers a fluff. "It didn't hurt you _too_ bad, did it?"

"Nah, I'll walk it off and be fine," was the answer, her comrade rejoining her.

A quick scan of the room revealed little to be inspected, though there was a small pool of water in one corner that seemed to be flashing with a yellow glow.

"Hey, even the water is all sparkly!" Arashi noted happily, hopping over to it.

Astrid skittered along too, still keeping an eye out for any more visitors that might not have been happy with their presence (and in case a Sharpedo or the like jumped up and chomped onto her comrade's face). The water was crystal clear, and glancing over the edge of the pool revealed two Chinchou at the bottom flashing their bulbs to each other to cause the glow. It seemed innocuous enough, even in a dungeon.

"So it _isn't _just some fancy mystical glow," the Froakie mused nonchalantly.

Apparently one of them took note of two sets of eyes peering down, for it glanced up and sent a Spark throughout the water.

"Yiaah!" Arashi cried, jumping back with a frightened grin.

Astrid too took a step backwards, cautiously eyeing the water. "W-we should just leave the pools alone," she mused quickly, blinking and rustling her feathers up just a bit.

Her comrade gave her a wide-eyed, awkward glance and nodded. "Y-yeah, I don't really wanna get fried in my natural habitat…"

Astrid went back to trekking, her comrade close behind her.

**Chasm Edge 2F**

It seemed that the second they entered the floor, the skittering sound of footsteps returned. Astrid scanned the room as soon as they came, and Arashi glanced around too inquisitively, though the source of it was something they couldn't ascertain. Perhaps it was just the dungeon's natural ambiance.

"What _is_ that?" the Froakie mused.

Astrid stared down the only corridor that opened up to them, and barely made out a tiny figure vanishing down the other end. Whatever it was, it evidently wasn't going to bother them.

"… Maybe the inhabitants don't get outsiders that often," the Dartrix said, unsure.

"Maybe they just don't _like_ outsiders," Arashi nonchalantly proposed.

Whatever the case was, they headed for the corridor, seeing nothing of interest in the room they ended up in first.

"So, Astrid," Arashi mused, hopping along beside her, "Since it's just us here, can I ask ya something?"

"Sure," she replied, shifting her glance to her comrade.

"So when Mom and Dad came back, we heard something about Zariel and some other world, yeah? And how she just vanished into a portal or something? Do you think maybe she's from the world you're originally from?"

The Dartrix thought about it for a moment, her eyes narrowing just a bit as she mulled it over. "Well, I'm sure it's _possible_… But if I knew any of those Pokémon- er, Pokémon and beast- from my former life, then I _definitely_ don't recognize them. And I'm sure that if I recognized a Spelon berry, I'd recognize _them_…"

Arashi chuckled. "They definitely seem like an unforgettable bunch."

The Dartrix gave him a slightly wide-eyed, hapless look. "You got _that_ right…"

"You think maybe your world has Pokémon-turned-humans on it?" her comrade wondered, slightly amused. "I mean, wouldn't that be cool! Well, in _theory_, anyway. I'd _much_ rather still be a Froakie if I was gonna go world-hopping!"

Astrid chuckled at the idea, trying to visualize it but having little luck.

However, it _did_ bring to mind another question. "Hey, Arashi? Remember when we first met, and you thought I was crazy because humans went extinct a long time ago…?"

"Yep! If Dad hadn't said otherwise, I would still think you'd just hit your head really hard!"

Her feathers fluffed out just a bit as she asked, slightly uncertainly, "W-why… Why _did_ humans go extinct…?"

The corridor was empty of skittering inhabitants, but on the other side of it, the same skittering sound could be heard. Astrid kept her eyes peeled.

Arashi, though, got a bit of a funny look at her inquiry. "Well, don't take any of this the wrong way, 'cause I'm sure your human self was pretty cool too," he noted.

"I won't," the Dartrix replied simply.

"They were just… kinda pathetic, as far as the history books say," the Froakie explained, "You know, there's exceptions in every group, like Magikarp and Feebas are notoriously useless Pokémon, and there were some humans that were really smart or strong… But in a world like this, where even most of the weakest Pokémon were stronger than above-average humans, they just couldn't keep up and disappeared a loooong time ago."

"A-ah… So natural selection didn't select humans…"

Arashi chuckled. "Nope! But you knew I was a Froakie, you knew you were a Rowlet, and you know about Pokémon, so it's gotta be the case that humans and Pokémon get along really well in your world!"

She considered it, and what her partner said definitely made sense. "I sure hope so, anyway- I have no idea," Astrid mused still.

Another source of a soft purplish glow added to the pastels of the next room, but the source of the skittering wasn't apparent, for it certainly wasn't the nonchalant Litwick standing off to one side staring at them with its softly wavering flame burning on its head. Both Astrid and Arashi readied for whatever attacks it might have been carrying.

The little Candle Pokémon smiled upon seeing them, and didn't move straight away as if not bothered by their presence… though for just a second, its eyes took a strange glow before fading just as quick as it had come.

Astrid blinked. "H-huh…?" then, on feeling something akin to pins jabbing into her skin, "_A-ah…!_"

She glanced to her comrade, who had the same odd eyeshine and spit a few purple pulses of ghostly energy her way to Hex her. Her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, unsure of what she was seeing.

"What was _that_ for?!" the Dartrix cried uncertainly. "Since when could you do that?!"

"Huh?!" came her comrade's voice, even though Arashi's mouth wasn't moving. "Astrid, what's wrong?"

He did it again, his mouth curling into a grin as he did so, and she sent just a few razor-sharp leaves at him in a hapless attempt to make him stop.

"Cut it out! Whatever that is, cut it out!" Astrid cried.

"_Owwww!_" came her comrade's voice again, but not from her comrade.

She blinked again, and Arashi wasn't in her line of sight anymore. She glanced around, and promptly found him with one arm held up defensively and what looked like a few nicks on his skin, the remnants of her Razor Leaf stuck in the wall behind him and the remnants of a Water Pulse coating the ground around a fainted Litwick.

"A-Arashi…?" she asked confusedly. "What _was_ that? I didn't even know you could learn Hex!"

"I can't," the Froakie replied, putting his arm back down. "You must've gotten hit with a Confuse Ray and started acting funny."

Her feathers ruffled out, and her eyes went slightly wide. "D-did I attack you?!"

He grinned awkwardly, not seeming all that bothered nonetheless as he replied, "Yep, you sure did…!"

A distressed squawk escaped her beak. "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean-!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" her comrade eased her, hopping to her side again. "You were holding back; I'm not fainted! Now we know to knock those things out when we see 'em!"

She deflated. "This is only the second floor and we're already getting messed with," her voice trailed off.

"It feels even more legit," Arashi giggled happily, not dissuaded.

Astrid gave her comrade a glance as they went back to searching for the stairs, not sure if 'legit' was quite the right word. In any case, she didn't raise a protest.

**Chasm Edge 4F**

The skittering sound graced their ears every time they entered a new floor and on occasion when entering a room, but aside from a fleeting silhouette, the source of it was something they couldn't find. A few Chimechos came down from their places on the ceiling to protest intruders in their dungeon, and a few Litwicks came out of the shadows to cause trouble, but the latter was dealt with swiftly to avoid any inadvertent knockouts by comrades. The pools with Chinchou flashes weren't all that troublesome so long as the Starstorm duo didn't go sticking a limb into them, which they of course refrained from doing.

The fourth floor wasn't much different, but the colors of the glowing crystals did seem to be gradually transitioning to darker colors, making the light appear more on the intrusive rather than calming side. However, in the middle of two intersecting paths of the glow and nestled in the crag of the wall was one spot that seemed to be absorbing light rather than casting it, making it look as though a patch of the night sky had been carved out and placed there.

"Hey! We found one!" Arashi exclaimed on seeing it and hopping over.

"Hm?" Astrid inquired, traipsing over to it as well.

She looked at it closely while Arashi carefully picked it up from its spot in the wall. It was a stone, a stone as dusky as could be.

"…Ah, a Dusk Stone…?" the Dartrix noted.

Arashi stowed it in the bag, nestling it safely down in their other supplies. "Yep! None of us need it, so it might make Niko happy to have one."

Astrid nodded in agreement.

Off to the next room they went, where another little flashing pool was in the middle along with two more corridors, though an item lying in the room also caught their attention. It was round and seemed to have a pink exterior, but a star-like yellow glow emanated from the center of it that made it a bit hard to tell. Arashi hopped over to it the second he laid eyes on it, and Astrid was close behind.

"Hey, here's another orb!" the Froakie exclaimed.

Astrid looked it over. "Do you know what kind…?"

He shook his head. "Not off the top of my head, but this pattern says it'll give us a buff if we use it!"

Astrid nodded, making a mental note of her comrade's words. "… We better save that, then. The Slow Orb came in handy for Lurantis."

As the Froakie stowed the orb in the bag, he got a cheeky look and grinned at his comrade. "The Blast Seed did too, but say… You don't mind if I breathe fire this time if we go that route, do you?"

Astrid chuckled. "Go ahead; I'm definitely not gonna fight you for fire-breathing rights. Whoever sent me, whether they messed up or not, did me a favor in not making me a Fire-type."

Arashi clapped his hands together gleefully, fixing the bag back into its position.

The Dartrix had to admit, the mental picture of a fire-breathing Froakie amused her; it seemed even more ridiculous than a fire-breathing Rowlet.

Blast Seeds or not, another figure entered through a corridor that was just fine to breathe fire- another Litwick. Both Astrid and Arashi eyed it, and it spit an Ember.

"Aaaand here we go again," Arashi remarked on seeing it.

Both of them jumped out of the way as the little burst of fire connected with the wall behind where they had been moments before, fizzling out into a puff of smoke in seconds. If a wild Pokémon could giggle, their Ghost-type company probably was, but they couldn't quite tell for its lack of much sound.

Arashi spit a Water Pulse at it and Astrid (very carefully) darted closer to Peck it, but at the same time, the grinning Candle Pokémon released a thick cloud of Smog that floated out from it.

"Agh-!" Astrid cried in discomfort, tightly shutting her eyes and attempting not to breathe it in.

The Litwick clearly didn't appreciate the attacks, but with Astrid as a closer target, it turned to her with another Ember in its mouth.

Arashi noticed it almost as fast as it readied the attack. "Oh, no you don't!" he shouted, loosing another Water Pulse.

The Dartrix scurried backwards away from it, and her comrade's attack nullified the little burst of flame, but the Smog's discomfort still lingered. The Litwick's eyes narrowed and its mouth curled downwards in a pained frown, and even though it was a resisted move, a few nicks from the Dartrix's Razor Leaf knocked it out a few moments later.

"Sheesh! Those little guys are just full of terrible surprises!" the Froakie exclaimed, waving a slight remnant of the Smog away.

'Terrible surprises' was right, Astrid had to admit. She coughed a bit, feeling a burning sensation down her throat from the poisonous cloud's effects. Her wings and feet felt a bit heavier than normal, but she tried to ignore it.

"I'd hate to live around those things," the Dartrix remarked.

One corridor was closer, thus they headed for that one next. The burning sensation and heaviness didn't go away, but Astrid hoped that too was simply due to her weakness to the Poison-type and not because she was actually poisoned… but given that she didn't know what being poisoned _felt_ like, she didn't know for sure. Arashi had been able to walk off the Razor Leaf, thus she ignored the Smog's effects to do the same.

Just in caution, she swiveled her head backwards, and quickly she became aware of something that hadn't been there before- the floating iron body of a Beldum that drew itself back. Her face fell.

"Hey, Arashi-!" she exclaimed.

The Froakie noticed her change in countenance and glanced backwards too. "Wha-!"

The Beldum slammed its body into the nearest target- Arashi- in a Take Down, which in turn slammed the Froakie into the Dartrix and sent them both flying out of the tunnel and into the next room, landing in a tangle of limbs and wings.

"Ngh…!" grunted Astrid.

"_Jeez!_" Arashi cried.

The Beldum apparently needed to reorient itself too from the recoil damage it took, for it shook in the air as if brushing itself off. Astrid and Arashi untangled themselves quickly and turned to face it, the Dartrix unleashing an Ominous Wind that it simply couldn't avoid. Nonetheless, it revved itself up again and shot its body at her, letting out a few metallic snarls. Arashi leapt out in a Quick Attack to knock it off course, though the attack did little in terms of damaging the Beldum. Instead, it crashed itself into the ground, and Astrid was glad for it, too- a sudden bout of chills overwhelmed her body.

"C'mon, just knock yourself out! _Literally!_" Arashi exclaimed, quickly hopping away from the Beldum.

Crashing into the ground apparently did some damage to it, for its shiny body had a few scratches on it from the rocky ground and it made a few more snarling noises as it tore its metallic crest out of the floor. The Ominous Wind had definitely slowed it, at least. Its eye glanced between them as if deciding who the better target was, but apparently it decided on the Dartrix again.

Something akin to a growl came out of Astrid's beak as she shook some leaves loose from her wings and sent them flying at the Beldum in return, but not out of aggression- her wings didn't seem to want to listen to her, and neither did the rest of her when she jerked her body aside. One of the leaves jabbed into the Beldum's eye, and the Beldum in turn got its head stuck in the floor again. The Dartrix let out a heavy breath, stepping backwards and away from it. Her own eyes didn't feel that great, either.

A metallic screech followed when the Beldum emerged, and without clear vision, it merely slammed into the nearest point that it deemed a likely target- a rock. The rock cracked, and the recoil damage was enough to put the Beldum out.

Arashi laughed with a hint of uncertainty, blinking at it. "W-wow, I'm glad you didn't go for _my_ eyes…"

"Well, it's effective," Astrid mused, voice a bit husky.

She tried ignoring the heaviness and plodded over to the Beldum, carefully removing the leaf from its socket with one foot, which made Arashi flinch a little. She stumbled a bit but caught herself, letting out another pained cough.

They glanced about, and seeing only one opening, went for it.

The Froakie studied her, still upbeat but looking concerned. "You okay? You don't seem as… swift."

Another bout of chills made the Dartrix grimace. "That Smog really hit me hard…"

Her comrade perked up, sticking a hand on her wing. "Are you poisoned?"

"I d-don't know… How can you tell…?"

"You won't regain health and you'll gradually take damage," Arashi answered, "We have a Pecha berry- do you want it?"

She shook her head. "N-no… I'm sure it'll be fine; that Gligar's Poison Sting lingered around for a little while, too… B-but, c-can you take lead for now…? I don't wanna slow us down by being droopy and not noticing something up ahead…"

The Froakie nodded and went into the tunnel first, the Dartrix close behind but following with uneven steps. She wasn't sure when the dungeon's effects would kick in and start healing her faster, but she hoped it was soon… if it was going to happen, anyway. It was only the fourth floor; she didn't want to waste the berry so soon if there were ten more to go and more Litwicks waiting for them that probably carried the same move.

"You know, if we reach the stairs, that'll heal any status conditions too," Arashi noted. "Remember how Trixie got hit with Sleep Powder in Brushwood Tangle and woke up once we hit the next floor?"

"A-ah…" Astrid acknowledged, "Th-that's… good to know…"

Her eyes wanted to close, but she forced them to stay open. The burning sensation started to spread, which she certainly wasn't fond of. She certainly wanted to reach the stairs, if only because the floor they traversed had been utterly ruthless to them with the feral ones and their attacks.

The next room didn't have the stairs, but thankfully, it was empty of foes and had two corridors to pick from- one in front of them and one to their right. Arashi glanced between them both.

"Let's go this way," he said, strolling to the one on the right.

Astrid went to follow, but another bout of chills made her falter.

"Agh-!" the Dartrix cried, losing her balance when she went to take another step.

Arashi whirled around, and Astrid fell face-first onto the ground, her wings splayed out beside her and another pained cough escaping.

"S-sorry, it just feels… really bad…" the Dartrix choked out.

The Froakie slipped the bag off. "Yeeeaaaaah, that's poison, alright. You're probably about to faint."

"A-ah…!"

He gave one of her wings a pat, fishing through the bag with the other hand. "Don't worry, you're not gonna," he said gently, taking out the Pecha berry. "Here, open your beak."

She did so, and soon she felt the berry eased into it, which she bit into. The second she swallowed the pink fruit, the burning sensation eased up. It didn't take her long to scarf down the rest of it, which expelled the rest of the effects and let her get back to her feet. She could still tell she wasn't at full health, but it was _much_ better than she'd felt moments before.

Arashi slipped the bag back on. "Better?"

"M-hm," she said, nodding.

Her comrade went back to grinning. "You wanna take lead again? You keep better watch than me!"

She smiled a bit too. "S-sure."

**Chasm Edge 7F**

Skittering and scuttling, every single time. Whatever it was, it clearly didn't want to be found, and was doing quite a good job of ensuring that it wasn't. The Beldums intent on Taking Down everything in their path were thankfully scarce, but a few Litwicks and Chimechos caused trouble- thankfully none quite as much as on the fourth floor. The pastel hues of the glows had disappeared in favor of much sharper reds and greens and purples that weren't quite as bright, but still lit up the surroundings fine enough to see without _too_ much difficulty.

"You know, if I'm being honest, this place is _rough_," Arashi remarked, still smiling nonetheless as they traversed one corridor.

The edges of Astrid's beak curled up just a bit. "You're not wrong. And I'm still waiting to see what all that running away is whenever we enter a new floor."

The Froakie laughed. "It's not like we're _that_ scary, aha!"

Astrid had to agree. When she thought of either one of them, the word 'scary' did not come to mind.

The room the corridor opened up into was empty save for another flashing pool with a Chinchou sitting harmlessly at the bottom of it. It Sparked the waters as if to tell them to stay away, but that didn't bother them too much.

There was no poison or confusion, but the Dartrix started to notice another sensation. "Hey, Arashi, can you pass me a chestnut?"

"You just started noticing too?" her comrade mused, slipping the bag off.

"M-hm…"

Her comrade retrieved two of the spiky nuts, and Astrid took one with the claws of one foot. Very carefully she peeled off the shell with her beak and Arashi did the same with his hands, the both of them leaving the spiky shells on a rock as they ventured on.

"You know, I wonder how well that Clefable is doing, just camping out at the last floor," Astrid mused, glancing about as they entered another tunnel.

More skittering and scattering graced their ears, and another rounded silhouette dashed away at the end of the corridor.

"She might not mind so much if she's crazy," Arashi said with a chuckle.

However, the corridor opened up into a room with no other passages leading out, and it was completely empty… save for one lone Pokemon with a round pink body, most of which was covered by thick locks of blue hair with a hat-like antenna- a Hatenna. It faced away from them as if it were running towards the wall seconds earlier, but on noticing there was no outing, turned to face them.

"… Well, that explains the sounds," Astrid noted, looking it over.

Arashi giggled. "Hah, they're shy!"

They couldn't see the eyes underneath the blue locks, but its mouth curled into a pout and it began to cry with the two side locks flailing in dismay.

"Let's get out of-" Astrid started to say while turning to leave, then, "_What the-!_"

More skittering came from the corridor they had just entered the room from, and the second she turned around, another pink and blue figure came swooping into the room along with them- a Hattrem. And it looked _furious_.

Arashi turned around to notice it too. "Oh, sheesh, there's_\- KYAH-!_"

_Thud!_

He didn't have time to finish that thought when the Hattrem's braids pounded straight into him and Brutally Swung him into the ceiling with enough force to crack the rock. Astrid let out a startled squawk, while the Hatenna went to bawling hysterically. Arashi's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"_Hey!_" Astrid shouted at the one with violent braids, her eyes narrowing.

The Hattrem turned to face her next, but the Dartrix unleashed an Ominous Wind before the Hattrem could attack her next. It let out a pained cry, but the attack clearly angered it even more, and a wave of Confusion followed. Arashi fell down from the ceiling, still making little more than a few gasping sounds but at least getting ahold of himself and standing up, while Astrid flapped out of the way of the Confusion.

The Hattrem's braids flailed for Arashi again, but the Dartrix swooped him up before they could make contact. The Hatenna was still sobbing its unseen eyes out with its two side locks wrapped around its body.

"Arceus above, show this thing to Trixie next time she talks about pretty ones being weak…!" Arashi croaked.

A Razor Leaf sailed through the air at their braided attacker, who tried to pummel the leaves themselves but only got cuts from their sharp edges. Arashi added a Water Pulse to the mix, which elicited a shriek of wrath and another wave of Confusion that Astrid flew out of the way of.

"The only things in this dungeon that aren't ridiculous are the freaking Chinchou pools!" Astrid cried.

"On one hand, I like it, and on the other, this is nuts!" Arashi exclaimed in agreement.

The Hattrem apparently wasn't happy with them evading in the air, for it crouched down with its braids touching the ground and gave a mighty push to launch itself into the air at them.

"_What the heck!_" Arashi shouted.

"_Are you kidding me?!_" Astrid chorused.

An Ominous Wind and a Water Pulse thankfully knocked it out before it could make contact, and Astrid landed with her comrade again while the Hatenna still sobbed harmlessly in a corner.

They looked at each other.

"… Well, that's something else we gotta watch out for," Astrid mused flatly.

Arashi grinned, but got an awkward look and stuck one hand behind his head disarmingly. "Y'know, they're attracted to strong emotion, so… I guess that's my bad…~"

"Tell 'em to go take a hike and calm down," Astrid remarked with a slight grin, reaching one wing out and giving her comrade a pat.

Back to trekking, the Hatenna still bawling as they left.


	17. Chapter 17: A (Middle) Finger Waggle

**Chasm Edge 8F**

They left the skittering ones to their skittering and didn't pursue it whatsoever. If the Hatenna wanted to be left alone, they would leave them alone. Either way, it was less trouble.

"You know, there's gotta be _some_ reason Salem wants you aside from you just being a rare occurrence," Arashi noted as they entered another opening from an empty room.

Astrid shook her head dismally, casting a glance up at the ceiling to make sure no wild ones waited to pounce from above. "I sure wish _I_ knew why that was. I-if she's out to upset the world, and it's true that I _was_ sent here to stop it, then… I _guess_ that makes sense, but… There's gotta be more to it than that if Zariel said Salem wanted me _alive_, otherwise just killing me would be enough…"

The Dartrix ruffled up a bit at the thought of what they might do if killing her was the goal… then got even more flustered when considering that being alive in Salem's clutches probably wasn't much better of an option than being shocked or torched into oblivion. Zariel and the Beast had left the absolute opposite of a good impression on her, but even so, she didn't particularly want to think of spending ages around anyone like _that_.

"Well, whatever it is, we can't let them have you," Arashi declared with a grin, "Our names are gonna go down as the greatest expeditioners in history, and _Salem_ is just a part of the journey!"

Astrid gotta hapless look. "You really _do_ love being an expeditioner, don't you?" she inquired, glancing backwards for a moment.

Her comrade was beaming. "Yup! You know it!"

The next room was empty… save for a Chimecho that immediately became unhappy on seeing them and detached itself from its place on the ceiling. Astrid's Razor Leaf was flying within moments of laying eyes on it, and an Extrasensory was the return.

"Hey, now, we're just passing through!" Arashi cried, mostly in jest.

The sharp leaves left a few scratches on the wild one's long tail, and Astrid darted out of the Extrasensory's way with a flap of her wings. A Water Pulse connected with the Chimecho next and it started glaring at them both in frustration, though its cries didn't sound intimidating in the slightest. Loud intonations filled the room in quite the Uproar, the Froakie and Dartrix getting stalled for a moment by the harsh volume.

"Sheesh, imagine trying to sleep with one of these things around!" the Froakie exclaimed.

"To be honest, I don't think I'd ever fall asleep in a place like this regardless!" Astrid mused.

The Chimecho wasn't wasting any time and hurled itself to Take Down Arashi, but a Quick Attack was faster and knocked it out.

Astrid swiped at the leaves on her face again. "These dungeon-dwellers don't mess around…"

Her comrade chuckled. "That just comes with being a dungeon-dweller."

They glanced about the room with their feral assailant neutralized, and noticed the walls opened up into three tunnels- one on both sides and one in front of them. Astrid shrugged and picked the one in front, and Arashi came hopping along after her.

**Chasm Edge 11F**

By the later floors, the glowing stones had all turned to a deep red color with just an occasional green or purple. Astrid couldn't help but think they looked like blood, and started wondering if nature itself was trying to send them some kind of warning, for that's precisely what it looked like- a giant 'KEEP OUT' sign in all but words. She was certainly still keeping watch with her head swiveling in every direction as they trekked, just in case something hid where the light wouldn't reach in wait. Their surroundings were illuminated just sufficient enough to see the necessities, but it would not have been hard to evade her detection simply by choosing the right corner and staying perfectly still.

The skittering had also stopped after the tenth floor. If there were any Hatenna to be seen, they couldn't find them, and only hoped that was not because they'd all evolved into Hattrem. (Why they'd been dubbed the 'Serene Pokémon' was anyone's guess, as their lone encounter earlier had said quite the opposite.)

"Fourteen floors, right?" Astrid inquired, glancing backwards.

"Yup!" her comrade replied. "We're almost there!"

"If this Clefable hits us with a Sheer Cold or something, it was nice knowing you," Astrid remarked, not quite sure if she meant it in a joking way or not.

Her comrade grinned nonetheless. "Oh, c'mon, the odds of _actually_ dying are _super_ low!"

"Key word there being 'low,' not 'zero,'" Astrid said nonetheless.

The room they entered was split in two longwise by a stretch of water in the center with another corridor on the opposite side. The pool wasn't glowing, but a quick glance into its depths revealed two Chinchou nonetheless sitting happily at the bottom, one of which appeared to be sleeping.

Nonetheless, that didn't stop the one that was awake from looking up at them and Sparking the water, making the Froakie jump back in fright. Without a word, Astrid swooped him up and fluttered over it.

"Thanks," the Froakie chirped, giving an awkward smile back at the pool.

They trailed off towards the corridor, though before they entered it, a slight splash graced their ears before they entered it. Astrid turned her head back and saw the Chinchou peeking back at them with its front fins gripping the edge of the pool's boundary... and its antennae sparking. An Electro Ball followed momentarily.

"No-!" Astrid cried, whirling around and sending a Razor Leaf while shoving Arashi aside.

"Agh-! _Oh, jeez!_" Arashi exclaimed, startled at first by the random shove.

The Electro Ball smashed into the cave wall and thankfully fizzled out without connecting to anyone, and while the Froakie still smiled, he turned a bit hesitant. Astrid's leaves gave the Chinchou some scratches that it clearly wasn't happy about, and one that sliced it straight between the eyes was enough to make it fall back into the water with a cry.

"Seriously?! You were just chilling in your pool!" the Froakie protested.

"Let's ditch it!" Astrid proposed, making for the opening while the sparking one was out of view.

Arashi wasn't far behind, the two of them scurrying into the corridor and quickly leaving the pool behind.

However, something sprung out at them from the shadows at the end of the tunnel, and the two of them halted to avoid crashing straight into it. The silhouette was murky and incorporeal, but its features gave it away easy enough- a Haunter. It stuck its tongue out to Lick Astrid, but she gave a flap upwards to render such a move useless. Arashi didn't waste time and hit it with a Water Pulse while Astrid was still in the air, but the Haunter too was ready and laid a Curse while laughing with sinister glee.

"_Agh!_" the Froakie shouted, tensing up.

"What'd it do?!" Astrid cried, landing again while letting a Razor Leaf go.

"It Cursed me!" Arashi cried, getting a pained expression. "It feels like a ton of little needles are getting stuck into my skin!"

Astrid had to admit, that sounded _extremely_ unpleasant.

However, the Shadow Punch that followed was even more unpleasant, for the Dartrix had no way of avoiding it in time. Both she and her comrade were knocked flying back to the corridor's beginning, where an angry Chinchou was attempting to crawl out of the pool they'd left behind, still bearing the scratches of a Razor Leaf.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding!" Astrid protested.

She let an Ominous Wind go right as the Chinchou escaped its pool and began waddling closer, and the eerie gust hit both the sparkling little fish and the ghost. The Haunter too let out a pained cry, while the Chinchou, still definitely hurt by the blows taken, nonetheless seemed to stomp its little feet in anger while sparking. An Electro Ball followed at the Dartrix, while the Haunter Hexed Arashi with a little flash of ghostly energy.

"_Kiyah!_" cried the Froakie, tensing up again and stumbling.

Astrid cast an alarmed glance to her comrade, whom she could easily tell wasn't in the best of conditions from his pained expression. She flapped her wings in an attempt to avoid the Electro Ball, but it still grazed her and made her eyes twitch in discomfort, to which she sent a Razor Leaf on her way back down. Thankfully, it was enough to knock out the Chinchou, and she darted over to the Froakie while the Haunter seemed to be chuckling to itself. Arashi shakily spit another Water Pulse, and the Haunter's body dissipated back into the shadows presumably in defeat.

"Are you alright?" Astrid inquired, eyeing her comrade uncertainly.

With a heavy gasp, the Froakie slumped on the ground whilst trying to slip the bag off. "Heal Seed… I won't make it…"

He twitched again, and Astrid scurried around behind him and undid the bag's flap with her beak.

"You look awful," the Dartrix noted, rustling through the contents with one wing.

A weak chuckle followed. "Well, that makes two of us in one dungeon run, aha…"

The Heal Seed was uncovered when Astrid brushed aside an Oran berry and the orb, and she grabbed it up in her beak before scuttling back in front of the Froakie. She nudged it into his mouth with one foot, and as soon as he swallowed it, the pained expression left.

"_That's_ better," Arashi said happily, if a bit subdued for his lack of health. "That Hex just about took me out!"

"Well, I'm glad it didn't," Astrid said simply.

Her comrade situated the bag again and they were off.

**Chasm Edge 13F**

"One more floor," Astrid mused, eyeing their corridor for anything that might have been lurking in the shadows.

"This is so excitiiiiiing!" Arashi chirped, clapping his hands together.

Astrid hoped it was the 'good' kind of excitement where things went spectacularly well and not involving a myriad of ridiculous, unavoidable attacks.

They weren't alone in the room they entered, for as soon as they stepped in, the shiny eyes of a Sableye peered at them, the wild one grasping something they couldn't quite make out in one hand and apparently trying to detach one of the glowing red gems from the wall with the other. It unhanded the gem and flashed its claws, baring its pointy teeth in a crooked grin before scuttling toward them. It slashed at them with its free claws, the other hand still cradling its object, which on closer (but brief) inspection they could determine was another Dusk Stone.

"Well, that's one way to say hello!" Arashi remarked, leaping out of the way of the Fury Swipes.

Astrid was in agreement but merely sent a Razor Leaf its way, scuttling aside herself to evade the swinging claws. Her leaves left a few cuts and scrapes, but their wild assailant didn't seem to mind so much and just swung at them a few times more. A Water Pulse from Arashi made it shake its head while letting out something of a growl, and it turned its attention to the Froakie. A rather loud, aggressive cry came from it as it pounced at Arashi, and while Arashi tried to attack again, the Sableye's move nonetheless Astonished him. The shiny-eyed one jumped back, but an Ominous Wind from Astrid elicited a less-than-thrilled cry and it turned its attention to the Dartrix.

It didn't seem to move, and yet Astrid could tell something stirred behind her from the quick shade that seemed to fall on the ground before her, something blocking out the reddish glow keeping everything lit. She whirled around, and sure enough, it wasn't the Sableye, but a Shadow Sneak. She squawked and flapped aside, but the shadow clawing at her connected with one wing and shredded through a patch of feathers.

"Agh-!" the Dartrix hissed.

Nonetheless, she turned back around and sent another Razor Leaf while Arashi spit a Water Pulse, and that was enough to silence their shiny-eyed company. Its grip loosened on the Dusk Stone and the dark crystalline object tumbled a short ways across the floor, which Arashi went to pick up.

"… Well, at least it wasn't a Carbink," Astrid remarked, smoothing out some of her feathers that had been sliced and recollecting the Sableye in Sheriff Zaara's office.

Arashi gave her a knowing grin, stowing the stone in the bag.

They glanced about in search of which way to go next, noting the two openings on either side of them. Astrid nudged one wing at the corridor closest to them, and Arashi shrugged, to which they headed for it next.

"… Honestly, this place seemed a lot less threatening when all the crystals were pastel colors, e-even if those Litwick were a pain…" Astrid noted, scanning their surroundings.

"I thought it looked a lot cooler," Arashi too noted.

Maybe it _was_ nature's way of telling travelers they'd come to the wrong place. The wild ones were manageable, but in any case, they certainly seemed to be causing more trouble than any in Brushwood Tangle or Tranquil Tunnel. Perhaps such was to be expected, but still, the Dartrix didn't think too much of it, and the Froakie didn't seem fixated either.

The room they found themselves in had no ghostly visages waiting for them nor any others intent on attacking, but a lone corridor faced them and another blinking pool took over the ground off to one side. Wordlessly, they both looked at each other, then back at the pool, and made a point to stay as far away from it as was reasonable. There was no need to provoke and draw out the Chinchou if they were happy to blink to each other (or just blink by themselves) without coming up and launching balls of sparks.

"Those little guys must have it so great out in the larger seas," Arashi chuckled.

"Those sparks probably come in handy," Astrid didn't disagree.

Nonetheless, the next room contained the thing they looked for most- the stairs- but it also contained a Beldum on one side that immediately locked onto them and another Sableye entranced by the glowing crystals.

Astrid and Arashi shared another glance, then bolted for the stairs as fast as they could. The Sableye scampered towards them, and apparently the Beldum had intended to land a Take Down, but the Starstorm duo darted up the steps too fast and the metallic one smashed straight into the shiny-eyed one. Cries of protest could be heard from below, but the Starstorm duo vanished up the staircase before anything could come of it.

**Chasm Edge 14F**

"Whew! We made it!" Arashi cried happily.

"A-alright, where is this Clefable…" Astrid's voice trailed off.

The floor they found themselves on was also empty, and slightly elongated to seem like a wide hallway more than anything. The crystals were still glowing, but it was just bright enough to see and definitely left something to be desired. Nonetheless, a quick glance around revealed another figure, seemingly pacing back at forth with small but quick steps, that paused upon noticing them.

"A-_ha!_" came the Clefable's voice, resembling something of a growl despite still seeming sweet and fairy-like.

She skittered closer, a few giggles coming from her that they certainly couldn't decipher the meaning of.

"Hey! Are you crazy?" Arashi called.

Astrid gave her comrade a glance, wondering if he _really _needed to ask such. The Dartrix was already poised to go.

Nonetheless, what they got in response was as good as anything, the Clefable's eyes furrowed in what looked like fury while her mouth was curled up in a grin. "_DIE, MY LOVELIES~!_"

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, not even needing to say what was on their minds- indeed, another death threat seemed as good of an indicator as anything. The Clefable curled her fingers down on one hand save for the one in the middle, which she held up while giggling.

… She wasn't quite sure why, but Astrid couldn't help but be just a bit puzzled. "Is… Is she flipping us off?" she asked, tilting her head sideways with narrowing eyes.

Arashi gave his comrade a glance in return. "What do you mean, 'flipping us off?' What's that?"

Astrid studied the Clefable, trying to think of why that phrase came to mind, but she drew a blank. "U-um… w-well…"

Apparently the recollection wasn't going to come to her in any timely manner if it came at all, for the Clefable waggled her middle finger and quickly formed a giant burst of energy between her hands that fired off into a Hyper Beam.

"_Gah!_" Arashi cried.

"_Are you serious?!_" yelped Astrid.

The two of them sprang out of the way as fast as they could, but nonetheless they felt the beam's raw power as it blew past them and into the wall behind them, smashing a crater into its surface with steaming edges. They blinked at it for just a moment, then blinked at each other in stupor, while the Clefable, on the other hand, let out a tired sigh. They certainly weren't going to waste time after that display, and a Water Pulse and Razor Leaf followed that their target was too worn out to avoid. Still, her expression practically taunted them, and she didn't seem all that worried even as Astrid dove down and gave her a Peck. The fairy only giggled.

"Of every move out there! Hyper Beam?!" Arashi exclaimed.

Nonetheless, shortly the Clefable was sticking her finger up to waggle it again, and more light engulfed her- a Flash Cannon. She aimed it at the Dartrix, who took to the air and let it sail beside her, while Arashi darted off in a Quick Attack that elicited a somewhat startled cry from their target when he slammed into her. However, something in the room changed, for the air started to feel intensely heavy as Astrid tried to move her wings, and shortly the task became too difficult to keep up. The Dartrix dropped to the ground, and the Clefable giggled.

"Oh, good grief, she's got Gravity!" Arashi noted, scurrying back from the fairy.

"_Why?!_" Astrid protested, shaking more leaves loose.

Their distress only made the Clefable laugh while holding her finger up and waggling it. Somehow Astrid couldn't help but feel odd about her perpetually waggling her middle finger, but she didn't think about it too much when waggling said finger held so much potential against them.

A Razor Leaf flew at the Clefable, but the Clefable's hands took a white glow from which seemed to materialize a barrage of spikes, and a Spike Cannon followed that met most of the leaves in the air while also flying at both the Dartrix and Froakie. The Starstorm duo scurried around while trying to dodge them, but the heavy gravity made it harder than normal, especially for the avian, and a few of the glowing white spikes jabbed at them. Luckily, they didn't pack _too_ much of a punch- the strength was in large volumes, not individual ones.

"Come closer, _come closer~!_ So I can _kill you!_" the fairy chirped maliciously.

She stuck her finger up, though a Water Pulse hit it before she could waggle it. An Ominous Wind struck her as well, getting something akin to an annoyed growl in return, but in any case, she still waggled her finger within seconds and opened her mouth to let out an ear-shattering Hyper Voice. Both the Froakie and Dartrix let out cries of their own when they felt the ridiculous power of the sound waves produced, for it certainly didn't _feel_ like just a voice.

They looked at each other.

"Seed?!" Astrid suggested.

"Yeah!" Arashi agreed.

Their target still giggled, and went to waggle her finger again. Arashi fished the seed out of the bag and stuck it in his mouth before rushing the Clefable in another Quick Attack, who just grinned her malicious grin while waving her middle finger in circles. Astrid didn't attack, not wanting her comrade to be hit by any stray blows, though she couldn't help but be slightly amused when his expression contorted after biting down on the seed. Maybe he resisted fire… but he certainly didn't seem happy about breathing it.

Still, a surprised cry came from the fairy, and she got a bit wide-eyed, but nonetheless she could apparently take the hit better than the last Blast Seed target and still grabbed hold of the Froakie with a green glow covering her hands. In any case, there was a tired look to the Clefable's eyes, and the green glow seemed to comfort _her_ far more than Arashi.

"Yiiaaaaah! Oh, _come on!_" the Froakie protested, Pounding the hand latched onto him as soon as he felt it.

The fairy's fingers weren't all that great for maintaining a hold anyway and she let go fairly quickly when the Froakie tried to wiggle out rather frantically, the green glow fading as she did and Arashi bouncing away from her and closer to Astrid. The Clefable seemed happy (if not also angry), but Arashi looked hesitant.

"She freaking Mega Drained me!" Arashi exclaimed, letting out a heavy breath and slipping the bag off.

Astrid eyed their target and shook some more leaves loose from her feathers, while the Clefable went right back to waggling, albeit with a few singe marks covering her body and a slight shake to her arm as if the movement was just a bit tiresome. Arashi gulped down an Oran berry, still keeping an eye on their target for her next attack.

"Maybe we should use that orb?" the Dartrix mused.

That certainly seemed like an attractive option when a dark red aura surrounded the Clefable and her countenance contorted into pure wrath. She balled up her dainty fists and ran at them with a furious screech, to which both of their faces fell.

"Is that _Outrage?!_" Astrid cried. "You're a _fairy!_ That'd be like me using Ice Beam!"

Arashi fished the orb out as fast as he could go and held it up, to which it let off a bright glow and dissipated, though not before a glowing veil of energy formed a protective shield around them. The Clefable crashed straight into it, but that didn't stop her from wildly banging her fists against it in an attempt to tear through it in her dragon-like fury.

… Both the Dartrix and Froakie breathed a sigh of relief.

"… An All-Protect Orb," Arashi breathed, "_That_ sure comes in handy!"

Astrid blinked, not quite believing their luck. "… Arceus above, you're right."

The red aura left the Clefable and her expression turned annoyed. "_Hey! Quit hiding!_" the fairy shouted. "Get out here and let me thrash you!"

"_No,_" Astrid shot back.

She wasn't sure whether it would work or not, but nonetheless she sent another Razor Leaf their assailant's way. They went straight through the shield and straight into the Clefable, garnering a shriek of pain.

Arashi beamed. "_Yes!_ Let's finish this before it wears off!"

The Clefable frowned with furrowed eyes, nonetheless going back to frantically waggling her finger (and probably hoping for Feint or Future Sight to bypass their shield). Arashi spit a Water Pulse, and she growled again, shortly after which Astrid lunged forward and planted a Peck when the Clefable tried to land a Hammer Arm through their field.

The field broke down, but the fairy apparently did too for a sharp cry of protest escaped her before she stumbled back and fell over with her eyes shut.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, then at the Clefable. Without saying a word, the Dartrix stalked closer and Pecked her again, not getting any response.

"… Well, I guess we won that one," Arashi mused, breaking into a grin again.

"… I knew that would be ridiculous, but that was _ridiculous,_" Astrid remarked. "Not a single status move?! Hyper Beam and _Outrage?!_"

Her comrade shrugged. "Well, this'll make a good story later!"

She gave him a hapless look. "You're not _wrong_…"

The Froakie too studied their fallen target just a bit. "Didn't Rush say to just… leave them alone? That it'll wear off?"

Astrid tilted her head to the side, likewise eyeing the fairy. "Hasn't she been here for a few days though…? Do you think it'll just… wear off? I mean, there was that whole incident with Team Aeroslash that your dad seemed to think was the same sort of case too, and they were acting weird for a week…"

Arashi shrugged. "Well, that's also the first case of anything like that happening," he noted.

The Dartrix looked to him next. "And these Expedition Coalition members have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, right?"

Her comrade grinned. "Yep! They're the best!"

She nodded. "Alright. Your idols must know what they're talking about, so let's get out of here and leave her to whatever it is that fallen crazies do."

Shortly, the two of them were trailing towards the room's end, the motionless Clefable getting shrouded in dimness the further away they got.

"Seriously, though," Arashi mused, "What did you mean by 'flipping us off?'"

The Dartrix tried to think again about where, precisely, that thought was coming from. "W-well… when she held up her middle finger… I don't know; I just thought it was a bad gesture, but maybe that's just the human in me talking…"

Her comrade studied her, amused but puzzled. "What's wrong with sticking up your middle finger? She's only got three on each hand; not a whole lot of options there for which one she prefers to waggle."

The Dartrix tilted her head to the side. "… I'm honestly not sure."

Arashi laughed. "A lot of Pokémon don't even _have_ fingers, and some of them don't have a middle one! As Trixie would put it, if an obscene gesture can't be replicated by everyone, then there's no use having it! I mean, _look_ at you! _You_ couldn't do that!"

That made the edges of her beak curl up just a little. "When you put it that way… Y-yeah, I _really_ don't know. It sounds dumb."

"Well, if we ever come across a human-in-the-flesh, we can ask them," the Froakie said with a grin.

Astrid doubted they would find such a being, and if they did, whether they would take kindly to such a question. One way or another, she wasn't going to worry about it.

* * *

The name 'Crescent Ridge' was fairly accurate, for the entire town was situated on a crescent-shaped cliff which, had the Dartrix not had wings, hiking up the path to it likely would've been a laborious process. (She almost pitied the residents when they had to leave for another destination.) Still, it was rather peaceful, hardly an inch of the ground not covered by shade from a tree, and the occasional wild Kakuna could be seen hiding among the leaves. They had their own Kecleon Shop and a few more places that seemed to be a bit more important than the rest, but the Starstorm duo went for the black-colored cottage overlooking all the hills on the edge of the area. It looked as though some of it had been burnt a few times, but whether that was aesthetic or not was impossible to tell.

Arashi hopped up to the curtain door and gave the frame of the entrance a knock, while Astrid stayed a bit further behind him with slightly ruffled feathers. She wasn't sure if this 'Niko the Houndoom' was a nice individual or not, but regardless, she couldn't help but feel a bit awkward approaching anyone else, especially someone they'd never seen before. Her comrade, however, certainly didn't seem to mind.

In any case, shortly after the knock, the horned head of a certain doomy canine stuck out and brushed the curtain aside, his glance falling on the two smaller figures. Astrid couldn't help but notice the flashy red collar around his neck studded with what looked like black crystalline spikes- something resembling shards of the Dusk Stones they carried.

"Hiya! Are you Niko?" Arashi inquired with a smile.

"That would be me, yes," the Houndoom answered nonchalantly, "I don't believe I've met you two. What brings you here?"

"We saw your request about that Clefable, and she's taken care of," the Froakie replied, Niko's attention getting piqued at the mention, "And you weren't lying about her being a real piece of work! She almost hit us with a Hyper Beam and Outrage; we were worried for a few seconds! She's still beat up on the last floor, but she's probably not gonna cause trouble again."

Niko blinked with a slightly opening maw, but clearly the news made him happy. "Really?! Oh, thank goodness! I'm glad you just left her there, since we've got a Miltank a few houses over that just can't resist healing any hurt thing she sees, and that fairy out there just needs a good thrashing… but this is great! Here, let me get you something nice!"

The Houndoom disappeared back inside before they could say anything, the Froakie giggling happily.

"D-don't forget the stones," Astrid mused softly. "W-we don't need those, right…?"

"Unless you know anyone who evolves with a Dusk Stone, nope!" Arashi laughed, slipping the bag off and taking them out.

Astrid definitely did not- her social circle was identical to Arashi's, if not probably smaller.

Niko returned momentarily with a sack in his mouth, and seemed to be surprised at the dusky stones when he saw them.

"We found these and thought you'd want them!" Arashi noted cheerfully, "We don't need them, and you'd mentioned liking their dark essence."

The Houndoom set the sack down and blissfully pawed at one of them. "You two are _great,_" he said happily, "Me and my buddies- a Zoroark and an Absol- just can't get enough of these things to bling out our houses with. Of course our Doublade pal gets one when she goes to evolve, but… what can I say, these things are just too dark not to love!"

Both the Houndoom and Froakie laughed, the Houndoom nudging the sack towards them with one paw and still admiring the stones out of the corner of his eye. Astrid deflated… just a little.

"Say, what're your names? I gotta remember you two," Niko inquired.

"I'm Arashi, and that's Astrid- she's pretty shy, but she's good in the dungeons. Together we're Team Starstorm," the Froakie answered, giving a nod at the Dartrix on mentioning her.

At the mention of her being 'shy,' Astrid blushed a bit underneath her feathers, and she puffed out just a bit again. "H-hi," she said softly.

The Houndoom chuckled. "Well, nice to meet you two! I've never heard of your team, but I'm not gonna forget it now!"

That made Arashi practically glow with glee. "Send us a word if you ever need anything!"

"I'll definitely keep you in mind," Niko replied, "You two take care out there, and don't get roasted by Salem!"

It was the Froakie's turn to chuckle as he took up the sack. "Oh, don't worry!"

Astrid couldn't help but think that it was too late for that warning, but kept her beak closed.

Nonetheless, they were leaving shortly, the Dartrix's feathers smoothing out as they did so. Arashi examined the contents of the sack and seemed rather enthralled with them.

"Alright, so that's about 300… two Oran berries, and… Arceus above! A Pure Seed!"

Astrid glanced over at the object he referenced and noticed a rather ornate-looking seed, at least as far as a seed could be considered 'ornate.' A small golden sprout came from one end, and about it was curled another green shoot. Her friend seemed entranced by it, as if he couldn't quite believe it was real.

"Hm? Pure Seed…?" Astrid asked.

"If you eat it, it warps you to the stairs!" Arashi noted, "That's really useful! If you get stuck on a floor that's giving you a ton of trouble, you can use this, and just go to the next one!"

"Ah… That _does_ sound useful," the Dartrix mused, looking it over.

Her comrade giggled happily, stowing their loot away in the bag. "Third day of being Team Starstorm is _also_ a success!"

Astrid couldn't help but giggle just a bit too before inquiring, "You ready to head back?"

Arashi nodded, to which she swooped him up and set off flying back over the cliffs and hillsides back home.

* * *

However, much later when the sun was starting to vanish over the horizon and leave everything shrouded in darkness, a certain Charizard's flame lit up just a small area of swampy brush around a circular body of water with what looked like a small island in the middle. The air was mostly quiet, save for the occasional Hoothoot or Murkrow, the wind in the sparse trees, and two voices. One of them belonged to Zariel, and one of them belonged to someone else mostly hidden by the thick patches of tall grass and cattails. The giant set of claws, though, was impossible to conceal.

"My, I wish I _had_ been there," said a slightly gravelly, growling voice. "I _do_ quite like the rain; it feels so much more natural with it present if I'm to be in a forest or rocky area…"

Zariel snickered. "It's a damn shame that Salem needs me somewhere else, or I'd stick around to see them again," she mused, "You'll give 'em hell for me, right?"

A gravelly laugh followed. "Of course. I should be seeing them within a day or two."

The thought made Zariel smirk wildly, a few puffs of smoke coming out of her maw as she chuckled to herself. "That human… it's adorable that she thinks she stands a chance against Salem, as if she won't end up on our side.~"

"You'd think the resistors would've learned the _first_ time they tried this, after all the trouble it's caused them. They're all but signing their own execution warrants at this point."

The Charizard cackled, and the one in the brush made a few gravelly giggling sounds as well.

"Don't go getting _your_ ass kicked, or I'll never let you forget it," Zariel remarked, spreading her wings out and turning to fly off.

"Do not worry, comrade. I'm sure I'll leave them with a fine First Impression."

The Charizard shot one last wild-eyed smirk back before flapping her wings and taking off into the night sky. The long set of claws disappeared into the grass and a splash could be heard on the other side, a large figure vanishing into the water.


	18. Chapter 18: Lord of the Lake

"You two have mail," Niles noted on seeing the little ones the next morning.

Arashi immediately perked up, while Astrid only blinked while wondering what else could've been sent to them that wasn't already included in their team starter kit. Kaminari stowed a few items in a bag and moved a few out to the baskets on the shelves, while Niles seemed to be combing some more documents. One was set off to the side and unopened.

Arashi hopped over and jumped up on the table as fast as he could while wearing an excited grin plastered on his face, the Dartrix skittering along too and flapping her wings so she wouldn't get left in the dust for seeing what the matter was. Niles nudged the untouched (and somewhat classy-looking) envelope to them, chuckling.

"Really?! Just for us?!" the Froakie exclaimed happily. "I didn't think that would happen so soon!"

"Just for you," said his father, "Lucy dropped it off earlier and she was just ecstatic that your team was coming along so swimmingly."

Arashi let out a happy cry and clapped his hands together, making quick work of the outer cover on the letter. Sure enough, "To Team Starstorm" was displayed on the front. The rest of the contents were scrawled out to look rather crisp, but a few scratches on the page told them that the individual behind it probably had some rather sharp claws that got in the way. Two intent eyes scanned over every word.

"To those known as Astrid and Arashi-

"I too am familiar with Salem and her deeds, of which I have witnessed firsthand. If what I have heard is correct, you are some of the few to escape from Salem and her syndicate, and perhaps the only ones to escape without grievous injury. First, I must commend you for this, as this is why you have caught my attention. I am not at liberty to divulge much for concern of exposure, but I have an urgent matter involving her and one of her subordinates- the one that has since been identified as 'Zariel'- that I simply cannot ignore.

"Please, please lend me your assistance. I am convinced you are the only ones that can help me, and the odds of anyone getting hurt are slim if all goes well. I have taken up at Lake Lucent in the interim, which if I recall correctly, is not too far of a distance from your hometown should you head southeast. You can find me at the bottom, and we can talk it over if you wish. I will recognize you when I see your badges; I am in a vulnerable position and cannot give you identification in a written form for risk of exposure.

"-The Lord of the Lake (forgive my pseudonym, it was not my idea)."

The two in question looked at each other.

"Let's do it!" Arashi happily exclaimed. "It's literally got every aspect of a perfect mission! We _can't_ let this go!"

Astrid was still poring over the words, examining each one carefully. "You think so…? I think we're missing a _lot_ of information here, but… I guess that's why they want to talk…"

"We _should_ talk!" Arashi wasn't dissuaded, "What's the worst that can happen? It's too risky and we back down? I don't see a downside!"

The Dartrix thought for a moment, but didn't quite come up with any objections that warranted being voiced. The letter surprised her, that was for certain, but it did indeed read like someone needing help that they simply couldn't ignore. As much as she did not wish to be involved with Salem and her violent escapades, she was nonetheless involved whether she wanted to be or not… and this Pokémon sending them such a request likely felt the same. At least, that much was indicated on the page.

"… You're right; we should hear them out first… They sound like they're in a bad place," Astrid concurred. "Do you know where Lake Lucent is?"

Her comrade nodded. "Sure do!"

"Oh? Did someone contact you specifically?" Kaminari inquired, stowing a few Oran berries away.

"Yeah, they heard about our run-in with Zariel and wanna talk to us!" the Froakie happily answered. "Hah, we're gonna be famouuuuuuuus!"

Arashi seemed like he would burst with excitement, and Astrid couldn't help but be just a bit hesitant… Being well-known likely carried with it the ability to get answers with ease, but in any case, the idea of being 'famous' itself certainly didn't appeal to her in the slightest. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"Well, that settles what we're doing today," Arashi happily declared, tucking the letter under one arm and jumping down.

Indeed it did, Astrid supposed.

Before long they were making their way across the beach and up the steps, the letter stowed away in the bag.

"So… is this place a dungeon? And is it going to be a problem that I'm not aquatic?" Astrid inquired.

"Yes, and probably not," Arashi replied, "Last I heard, it was less than twenty floors, so nothing extreme. And don't let the name fool you- a lot of water dungeons have things like 'lake,' 'sea,' and 'abyss' in their names, but most of them aren't submerged. Think of places like Tranquil Tunnel and Chasm Edge, but with a lot more pools and probably a lot of puddles on the ground. It's probably a hassle to _get_ to them if you're not a Water-type, but you have wings, so you can just fly."

"So _most_ of them aren't submerged? How can we tell if _this_ one is? I mean, hiding underwater seems like a good way to keep a Braixen or Delphox away, but…"

The Froakie didn't seem concerned. "I'd remember something like that. I'm the only one in our friend group that'd be able to handle it, after all!"

"A-ah, that's true…"

"We can always ask Kecleon if he has a Drought Orb to keep just in case," Arashi mused, "Those dry up all the liquid on a floor, so in the event an Octillery or something drags you into its pool, we won't have to worry!"

Astrid's eyes shot wide open at the mentioned of being dragged into a pool, and she gave her comrade a perturbed look. "H-has that ever _happened?!_"

Arashi giggled. "Of course it has! Not often, and not to a lot of teams, but it has!"

If that misfortune befell her, she already had a string of curses ready, but she decided not to give the scenario too much thought.

Nonetheless, at the top of the steps…

"YOU GUYS!" called a certain Croagunk.

They looked up, and Trixie came bolting towards them with what looked like a torn-out newspaper article bunched up in one hand. Charlie and Lila weren't too far behind, but they were far less hurried.

"What's up?" Arashi called.

Trixie unfurled the page and pointed at a certain headline with a big grin. "You guys _did_ wind up in the headlines, ehehe~"

The Froakie's face was soon plastered with a gigantic grin, and he snatched the article out of her hands. "Really?!"

"W-_what?!_" Astrid cried uncertainly.

Astrid quickly huddled next to her comrade and peered down at the page, instantly catching sight of the large text reading "Subordinate of Salem Identified and Defeated in Battle- Still at Large."

"That is _quite_ a head start you've got there," Charlie remarked.

"Here's your lucky break for your idols to notice you, Arashi," Lila chuckled.

Arashi seemed absolutely thrilled at the idea, while Astrid had other thoughts. Nonetheless, the both of them carefully read every word.

"Just two days ago, a subordinate of the notorious criminal, arsonist, and disrupter of the peace Salem was fully identified- Zariel, a female Charizard with the known moves of Flamethrower, Air Slash, Dragon Breath, and Mega Punch, who had previously evaded all attempts at apprehension. She had reportedly been camping around the area of Overgrown Crevice, and had taken a resident of nearby Tranquil Town, Cobalt the Heracross, hostage for at least a day. Current evidence suggests that Zariel was responsible for several cases of Pokémon venturing out to Overgrown Crevice only to be ambushed and knocked out, as she had indicated being sent by Salem to guard the now-defunct evolution spot previously hidden away in the crevice. A newly formed team going by the moniker of Team Starstorm set out to rescue Cobalt, and the members were promptly confronted by Zariel, whom they ended up engaging in battle. The Charizard, while formidable, was eventually defeated owing to the team's strategy of causing the rainclouds in the area to open up to sway the fight in their favor. The injuries sustained by Team Starstorm were minor. However, while Zariel was defeated and left out in the rain (a state most uncomfortable for a Fire-type), she yet again escaped. Her current whereabouts are unknown."

Arashi's face only grew more and more excited as her read it, while Astrid was glad that 'Team Starstorm' was as far as their recognition went.

"_Yes!_ This is perfect!" the Froakie squealed happily, then looking to Astrid, "We've gotta keep this up! Expedition Coalition, here we come!"

The Dartrix gave him an odd look. "You don't mean keep up with almost getting killed, do you…?"

"If it happens, it happens!" was the nonchalant answer.

Astrid had a much different opinion, but didn't deem it something to be vocalized. The others didn't seem to be too concerned either.

"Say, what're you two up to today?" Lila inquired.

"Well, we actually got a request from someone specifically looking for us, so we're heading off to Lake Lucent," Arashi responded.

That got Trixie to perk up and skip closer, getting a big (and slightly shifty) grin. "You got room for one more~?" the Croagunk chirped, batting her eyes and nudging up to them.

"Well, the one that contacted us seemed like they wanted to keep it confidential," the Froakie noted, "But don't worry! Next time, you can come with us!"

"For someone calling them useless posers, you sure do seem interested in their business," Charlie jested.

"So long as I'm not the one wearing overly fancy badges with an overly fancy team name, I don't care," Trixie brushed him off. "I just like jabbing things, okay~?"

Arashi shot her a side-eye for her derision of their team name, and Trixie only grinned flippantly.

Nonetheless, with their friends tagging along, the Starstorm duo made their way over to the Kecleon Shop to stock up before departing, Arashi tucking the newspaper clipping away in the bag for safe-keeping (or perhaps to stow it with Adnea's letter, or whip it out should they have stumbled across his idols, as Astrid thought was a far more likely reason to hold onto it). Nez gave them all a wave and his usual happy greeting as they strode past, the Nidoking (very carefully) straightening out some petals on a flower in his window box.

"Welcome to the Kecleon Shop~" the purple one sang upon them approaching the countertop.

"How can we help you~?" said the green one.

"Well, me and Astrid are about to head out on a mission to Lake Lucent," the Froakie said, "Do you have any Drought Orbs?"

"Of course~" replied the green Kecleon, "How many would you like?"

Arashi glanced at the Dartrix. "How many are you thinking? One is probably enough, but do you think we should get two just to be safe?"

Astrid nodded. "It can't hurt."

"Alright, we'll take two of those and three apples," said the Froakie.

"That comes to 360.~ Is that agreeable~?"

"Sure is!"

Arashi opened up the bag and plopped the coins down, to which the green Kecleon scurried off into the back to fetch the items requested.

The purple one turned his attention to them. "Say, you aren't venturing off to apprehend Salem, are you~?" he mused.

Arashi giggled. "No, of course not! Zariel was a hassle as it was!"

"I bet _you_ could beat Salem, Kecleon," Lila chimed in. "Just unleash the swarms and she'd be down in ten seconds!"

The purple one laughed. "Oh, I'm sure, Lila~ But that would involve _not_ running the Kecleon Shop, which is never an agreeable thing to do~"

Astrid, however, studied them, a bit confounded by the musings being thrown around. "E-er, K-Kecleon… A-are you _really_ that strong…?"

Charlie put a hand on her wing, giving her a serious look that somewhat surprised her. "Don't ask. You don't wanna know."

Kecleon, however, didn't seem too fazed. "Well, if she ever decided to steal my precious merchandise, I suppose I would find out~" the purple one chirped. "She might be a heinous criminal, but thankfully, she is not a thief~"

That… gave Astrid an indication, and certainly told her that it was an issue she didn't want to press. By the sounds of it, being a _thief_ was worse than being _Salem_, but she elected not to ponder what, precisely, those connotations entailed, for it sounded like a total mess.

In any case, the green Kecleon returned with the purchased items in his arms and set them down, to which Arashi placed them in the bag.

"Thanks, Kecleon!" said the Froakie.

"Thank you for your business~" the green one chirped.

"Alright, so that's one chestnut, three apples, three Oran berries, two Drought Orbs, and one Pure Seed," Arashi noted, "We should be good to go!"

Astrid nodded, and their bunch turned to leave, Arashi heading for the town's eastern boundary and Astrid close behind.

"So who are you going to meet, eh?" Trixie inquired.

"Well, they call themselves the Lord of the Lake since they can't give out much information, and apparently the name wasn't their idea," the Froakie answered.

At that, the Croagunk couldn't help but snicker. "Pffft, at least _they_ didn't come up with it! That's almost as bad as Team Starst-ffghhshh!"

Her remark was cut short when Charlie's tail-hand reached over and muffled it.

"You're great, Charlie," Arashi remarked.

The Aipom grinned while Trixie shoved his tail away and shot him a dirty, but still flippantly shifty, look.

"So I'm taking Veeko out near the meadow to practice his moves later, and Rina's probably gonna tag along with him too," Lila mused, "You guys can come with me if you want, and Astrid and Arashi, you guys can meet us out there if we're gone by the time you get back, if you're feeling up to it after your mission."

"I got nothing better to do," Charlie said with a shrug.

"I'll finish off whatever Veeko can't," Trixie giggled.

"So the little guy's coming along?" Arashi inquired.

The Jolteon got a bit of a hapless look, letting out a slight sigh. "He's still afraid of using Tackle," she said, shaking her head. "I don't care if he's not a fighter, but he better know how to _do_ it if he gets into a bad situation while he's out playing again and no one else is around. And if Rina comes with him, I'm telling her to Peck some Budews. I figure Verdant Meadow is a lot less serious than a proper dungeon so maybe he won't be as freaked out."

"You're a good older sibling," Arashi noted, giving her a glance.

The Jolteon chuckled. "Thanks."

The water's edge near Tranquil Tunnel wasn't stirring so much save for a few Magikarps that jumped about further from the shore, but their ripples weren't all that strong nonetheless. A lone Corphish scuttled about on the muddy edge, only giving them a quick glance before deciding the water was a better place to be and ambling off beneath the surface.

The Froakie paused, studying the horizon a bit. "Okay, so we can cut the trip short if we fly straight from here in about… _that_ direction," Arashi mused, pointing out over the water and slightly to the left.

Astrid nodded. "Fine by me."

"Come back in one piece," Trixie remarked.

Arashi chuckled, and Lila rolled her eyes.

"If we're not in one piece, I doubt we'd be coming back," the Froakie chuckled.

Astrid spread her wings out and took a few flaps before swooping her comrade up.

"Be safe, guys!" Charlie called.

"See you later!" Arashi called back.

Soon the three they had left behind grew smaller and smaller and turned into little blobs of color against the landscape, while the water overtook any scenery down below. A rather large silhouette was visible beneath the surface from their vantage point, which Astrid guessed was a Gyarados from its serpentine shape, and several more- probably that of Tentacruel or Seaking- buzzed about just low enough to not be entirely discerned. A Floatzel drifted about on its back, splashing at a Buizel that seemed to be pestering it.

The water's edge was more easily visible to their west (where apparently Craggy Crossroads and the Expedition Coalition were situated someplace further away), for it collided with the edge of another dense array of trees that seemed to encircle it on that side, but to the east, the shore line was entirely invisible someplace beyond the horizon. South from Tranquil Town, a similarly treed coast could be faintly made out, but it was far off in the distance.

"So I'm guessing if we _didn't_ fly, we'd have to go all the way around on one side…?" Astrid inquired, making note of the scenery.

"Yep," Arashi answered, "And that's a real pain. If you go west and you're not careful, you'll hit dungeons. If you go east, you'll be walking for a loooooong time. I honestly don't know any of the terrain towards Craggy Crossroads, so I'd probably try to take a shortcut somewhere and land us in a dungeon, which would be a pain when we're aiming for Lake Lucent as it is!"

She chuckled. "Your idols are based there but you don't know about the surroundings? What're you gonna do if they recruit us?"

"Hey! I know about the _important_ things, like how amazing Rush and Rozen are, alright?!"

Astrid didn't protest that assertion.

A tiny Wingull flock glided about, but thankfully didn't seem too bothered by a random Dartrix and Froakie passing through. There was nothing but water underneath them, a vast blue expanse of uniformity save for an occasional Splashing Magikarp.

"Are Gyarados very common out here…?" Astrid inquired.

"They're there, but you hardly ever see them, mostly because evolving for a Magikarp is all but impossible," her comrade answered, "Once, someone passing through claimed they saw a red one… but c'mon! That's practically unheard of! What're the odds?"

"Pretty low, right?"

"_Insanely_ low, as cool as that would be!"

Seeing one _might_ be cool… as long as the odds of getting Hyper Beamed by it were as low as the odds of one existing, which Astrid doubted. No, if one _was_ out there, she'd let it have its space. It probably wouldn't be too thrilled at having its color gawked at, anyway.

The shore line got closer and closer and Tranquil Beach became little more than a blip someplace behind them. Astrid still scanned their surroundings, though she didn't see much worth noting. The water was little more than a giant blue blanket, and the trees conglomerated together into what looked like a fluffy green mass covering the land. What looked like a river wound around in the distance with some swampy-seeming terrain enclosing its sides, a rather stark contrast to the sandy and earth-colored crags that predominantly made up Tranquil Town's surroundings.

"Look around here," Arashi noted, "Lake Lucent should be pretty easy to spot. It's the only lake in the area."

"Ah…"

She did so, and a little further into the solid terrain when the sea was behind them, what looked to be another edge to a large (but not _as_ large) body of water crept into view. The ground around it was rather marshy and muddy, and the perimeter was covered in dense cattails.

"There it is!" Arashi declared, "Look for the dungeon opening!"

"Alright."

The lake itself was fairly big, and the dense cattails almost seemed to form a small forest themselves in some areas. A few Psyducks ambled about on the shore, interspersed with the occasional scurrying Wooper or Palpitoad. The dungeon entrance appeared to be in the middle of a small island in the center of the lake, which was muddy and seemingly held together by a tangle of grass that struggled to stay above the water itself. Amid the mud and marsh, the ground opened up into a crater that seemed to lead straight down, and wherever it lead to wasn't easily visible. Astrid made for it and glided down to it, carefully fluttering to the crater's edge.

After landing, the both of them peeked over the drop.

"This is it… right…?" Astrid wasn't so sure. "Is the dungeon… down there?"

"Must be," Arashi mused. Then, looking around, "Hey! Lord of the Lake! You're not out here, are you?"

No response came, save for a confused Wooper's cry.

"I'm flying down there," Astrid declared, "If there's a pool down there, you'll touch it first and tell me how deep it is, and if there's not, we won't get wrecked by gravity if the drop is too far."

"Sounds like a plan," Arashi was in agreement.

Yet again the Dartrix was swooping up her comrade, and into the crater they went, Astrid carefully fluttering as gradually as she could. It wasn't _too_ far down, but the crater's shadows definitely shrouded their view for longer than she would've liked, and the air felt oddly hollow.

"Okay! There's ground here!" Arashi called.

The Dartrix turned loose of him and landed herself, instantly noticing the dampness underfoot. It was solid rock that they stood on, but it was covered in a thin film of liquid. A quick glance up revealed that they were in a dome-shaped room with the crater letting in all the light that they could see with, which while at least sufficient, still left them shrouded in a dimness. The walls were made of dark sandstone which was cracked in a few places to let small streams trickle down to the floor, a great number of them over a larger opening that lead into total darkness.

"… For a place called Lake Lucent, it's not very lucent," Astrid remarked.

"Oh, I'm sure there's a reason," Arashi didn't mind too much. "Maybe if we came back at night, we'd see."

That sounded reasonable, but Astrid doubted they'd ever be doing that.

Nonetheless, they both approached the bigger opening.

"You know, this _does_ seem like a pretty good hideout, being at the bottom of a lake and all…" Astrid mused, still glancing around. "I wonder why they're hiding…"

"If I'd made Zariel mad, I'd probably hide here too," Arashi chuckled. "But I guess our situation is a little different, aha!"

At that, Astrid paused, struck by a sudden thought. "H-hey, Arashi…?"

He paused too, giving her a glance. "What's up?"

She thought for a moment, trying to get her exact thoughts in order. "Are you… Are you _really_ okay with this?"

The Froakie studied her inquisitively, tilting his head to the side. "Okay with what?"

"This entire thing with Salem. It's _me_ she wants, and, w-well… I guess what I'm getting at is-… S-so, it's that…"

She wasn't quite sure how to put it, jumbling over several sentences in an attempt to find the right one while none seemed to work. The more she thought it out, the more there appeared to be, and putting it all in order wasn't going well. Her beak opened and closed a few times, but little more than the very beginning of a word came out, and she stared at the ground while trying to find the exact ones.

Arashi, on the other hand, got a slightly amused look and hopped closer, sticking a hand on her wing and still studying her. "What're you saying?" he giggled, "That this has nothing to do with me since she wants _you?_"

Astrid's gaze snapped up, her comrade's remark spurring her on. "Yes! I mean, maybe I haven't been here for very long in comparison to everyone else, but it's plainly obvious that Salem is an _awful_ Pokémon! I mean, I get that you wanna be an expeditioner and everything, but if things had gone even slightly different with Zariel, I would be dead and you probably would've followed!" she blurted out, just letting the sounds tumble out in a slight hurry. "I don't know why I'm here and I don't know _what_ the hell Salem wants with me, but _I_ don't have a choice in the matter! _You_ do! And that's not to say I don't like being on a team with you or being your friend, but…! Look, all I'm saying is, I'd be screwed without you and your parents, so if something happens _because of me_, I'd…"

"You'd feel bad."

"… Exactly."

A flustered sigh left her beak, and her feathers ruffled up as if she were trying to sink into them. She almost wanted to, but that of course was impossible. Arashi still gave her an amused look, not fazed in the slightest.

"I think that's the most words I've ever heard you say at once," the Froakie laughed.

A subdued squawk of discomfort left the Dartrix, Astrid directing her gaze to the side. Arashi giggled, giving her wing a pat again.

"Relax; it's alright!" he laughed, "And yes, I _am_ okay with this!"

Astrid looked back to her comrade. "R-really…?"

"Of course!" was the easy reply, "If I was gonna back out, don't you think I'd have done it already?"

She deflated. He probably _would_ have, Astrid assumed...

"Sure, Zariel almost killing you and saying I was next was… kinda scary, but c'mon!" the Froakie brushed it off, "Plain and simple, it's been _fun_ with you around! I get to be friends with a crazy-rare human in the form of a fluffy avian, I got to meet my idols, we got our team in the headlines, and even if it involves Salem, that's alright! No one ever makes a mark on history by staying away from trouble, and if you got sent here to save the world, then I'm glad I get to go along with you! As far as I'm concerned, Astrid, I am _living the dream_ right now!"

She deflated even more, and her eyes drooped just a bit. "_Really…?_"

"_Yes!_"

The Froakie threw his arms around her, and she fluffed out for just a second in surprise before regaining her composure and sticking her wings around him too.

The Dartrix let out a heavy breath, musing, "Well, if whoever sent me screwed up according to Salem, this is _one_ thing they didn't botch… They couldn't have picked me a better partner…"

"Hey, that's what _I've_ been saying this entire time!" Arashi laughed.

Astrid's beak curled up just a bit at their edges before they drew back.

"C'mon, let's go find the Lord of the Lake and ask what's going on," Arashi mused.

She wasn't in disagreement. Shortly, the two of them were vanishing into the cavern's darkness.


	19. Chapter 19: Way Down Under

**Lake Lucent B1F**

Indeed, the caverns didn't live up to their name, for the inside of the dungeon was rather dim and just a few faint trickles of light could be seen within the vast spread of pools that covered the floor. The ceiling was draped with stalactites that occasionally let a droplet of water fall to a puddle on the floor, of which there were plenty- not a single space of the rock underfoot wasn't damp or standing in liquid. The bright blue of the pools contrasted heavily with the dark grey of the walls and floors, though not-so-luckily for those traversing the dungeon, the pools weren't particularly easy to see into. A few silhouettes stirred in them which could probably be made out as a Goldeen or Remoraid, but there wasn't much telling for sure.

The room they first wound up in was rather large and rectangular, though only a single corridor could be found clear across it. Three rather large and circular pools took up space on the ground, the occupants (if there were any) obscured.

Arashi giggled. "I like this one," he said, glancing around.

Astrid shot him a slightly playful side glance. "You would."

They went off towards the connecting tunnel, a single Remoraid jumping out of one pool and into another as they strolled past. A startled cry escaped it at seeing visitors in its territory, but before it could attack in any way, it was already splashing into the water. Arashi gave it a playful wave, but Astrid only eyed it cautiously.

"I really wonder what this 'lord' Pokémon is hiding for," Arashi mused, "You think maybe they got attacked by Zariel too?"

"Must be something like that," Astrid replied, "They mentioned her by name… Or maybe it was their friends or someone else close that got hurt."

The Froakie giggled. "Well, they must be smart if they worked out a plan where _no one_ gets hurt!"

Astrid fluffed up just a bit. Not getting hurt sounded fantastic, but somehow… she couldn't quite imagine just what that entailed. Even in the rain, the hits they'd taken from the Charizard hadn't been pleasant, and truthfully, she wasn't looking forward to seeing Zariel again anytime soon if that's what the plan involved. She was sure they'd make do one way or another, but… the Mega Punch and the feeling of being impaled on a crystalline spike wasn't something she would be forgetting for quite some time, if ever. Whatever she'd been doing in her human life, she was sure that nothing had come close to the absurdity of Team Starstorm's escapades.

Upon strolling closer to the tunnel, Astrid paused and Arashi followed suit shortly thereafter, the Dartrix carefully eyeing a figure hanging upside down within the corridor- a Golbat. It appeared to be asleep, but its wings folded over its face made it hard to tell for sure, since it also appeared to be gently swaying back and forth (at least, as much as it could with its legs latched onto the stalactites). The two of them cast a glance at each other and walked as carefully and quietly as they could underneath it, Astrid's head swiveling back to keep watch as they left it behind. Thankfully, it didn't seem to notice them… until they were halfway to the other room, and a mighty screech came from behind them.

Astrid's head and Arashi's gaze both went backwards, where the Golbat detached itself from its roost and turned its attention on them.

"Well, good morning to you, too!" Arashi exclaimed, spitting a Water Pulse.

The Golbat screeched again at the sudden stream, but it flapped its wings in a frenzy and whipped up a Whirlwind that sent both the Froakie and Dartrix flying backwards and into the next room, Astrid hitting the wall and Arashi hitting Astrid. The move itself didn't hurt, but the wall did give them both a somewhat unpleasant _thud_.

"Agh, sorry!" Arashi cried, quickly giving her space.

"You're fine," Astrid brushed it off, eyes locking on their foe.

The fanged one flew at them and dived for the closest target, Arashi, its fangs bared for a Crunch, though Astrid too darted up in the air and delivered a swift Peck to its head to give the Froakie an opening to dodge. Nonetheless, the Golbat turned to Astrid next and rammed one wing into her.

"_Ngh-!_" Astrid grunted, the Wing Attack hitting rather hard.

As she gave a flap back, a flurry of the razor-like leaves left her wings, which the Golbat didn't seem to be too bothered by. The fanged creature gave another screech, and as it did, it summoned up some star-shaped discs of energy and sent them her way. She tried to fly out of their way, but the stars homed in.

"Oh, _come on!_" the Dartrix protested to no one in particular, wrapping her wings around herself in an attempt to lessen the damage.

"It's nice when Lila uses Swift, but it sucks when you're on the receiving end!" Arashi shouted half in a jest.

A Quick Attack from the Froakie knocked the Golbat sprawled out on the ground, and quickly Astrid dove down to deliver one last Peck that finished it off.

"We gotta keep watch for those," Astrid mused tiredly, "I match up pretty bad…"

"Figures they'd be out and about in a cave when they'd otherwise be asleep," Arashi chuckled.

Little more than a few puddles and a rather large pool on the western side met them when they glanced about the new room, though a few tiny Wishiwashi splashed about in the pool intermittently. There were two corridors, one near the pool and one on the back wall, the latter of which Astrid picked while still casting a few glances back. The Wing Attack in particular left the Dartrix feeling rather weak, but thankfully, it started to wear off as they went back to trekking.

However, one thought crossed her mind. "Hey, Arashi…?"

"Yeah?" her comrade answered.

"So… you remember how Lurantis followed us through Brushwood Tangle? I'm assuming that the dungeon-dwellers can move around from floor to floor, right?"

"Of course! It's not very often that you get stalked by a dungeon-dweller though, since the best course of action is to knock them out, but even if you don't do that, well… Most of them just really hate visitors, so if you disappear off to another floor, they don't tend to follow you."

She nodded. "I figured, but… what about the ones in the pools? Y'know, like Remoraid and Goldeen? They can't really reach the stairs if they wanted to move, can they?"

"Well, no," her friend acknowledged, "But dungeon phenomena is weird, right? If we came back here later, we wouldn't see the same pools as when we entered. It's not like they can't move, it's just that we don't _see_ them move."

"Ah…" she took it in, "That makes sense. But that must be stressful if your house changes so much all the time."

Arashi giggled. "Well, they don't seem to be unhappy, do they? Sounds like a never-ending adventure to me!"

The Dartrix got a hapless look that she didn't share with her comrade. He definitely wasn't _wrong_, that much she could agree with.

However, on the other end of the corridor, another figure lurked with a split, rocky yellow horn on its head and its mouth open to reveal its interlocking jaws- a Drednaw. It scraped at the ground with one front foot and growled on seeing them, a gesture that immediately put them on edge.

"Oh, jeez," Astrid said flatly, shaking some leaves loose from her wings.

It stuck its head down and its horn towards them and rushed in a snarling Headbutt, Astrid's Razor Leaf leaving a few slight scratches on its carapace but nonetheless eliciting a mad, pained growl. The Dartrix flapped up and the Froakie followed by jumping, allowing the Drednaw to rush harmlessly underneath them and come to a plodding halt.

"We are _not_ getting chomped by that thing!" Arashi declared, eyeing it but still grinning. "We're not that tasty, I swear!"

The Drednaw apparently wasn't inclined to agree, for it turned straight around and snarled again with snapping jaws, but it didn't make a move at them straight away. Another Razor Leaf and a Water Pulse came its way, but the Drednaw instead gave the ground a few hard stomps, and when it did, several large and jagged stones shot up from the ground to surround the Starstorm duo.

"_No-!_" Astrid cried.

"What the-!" Arashi likewise shouted.

A slight cry from the Drednaw on the other side indicated that at least some of their attacks had hit, but largely, the leaves and water jet could be found scattered on the rock immediately in front of them, having been blocked by the Rock Tomb. Had they not been squished together (and rather uncomfortably so), the two expeditioners wouldn't have been able to tell what was in front of them, for the rocks blocked out what little light had been there in the first place.

"_This_ is problematic," Arashi remarked, trying to wiggle free.

The Drednaw growled on the other side, and they could hear its footsteps.

Astrid couldn't move. "You think you can slip out? I'm pretty sure I've got the less flexible form between us…"

"I'm trying," Arashi responded, still wiggling around. "My bubbles are making it easier, at least…"

She could feel a few on her face as her partner tried to get some leverage. Her feathers flattened out as much as she could make them go, but that wasn't doing much.

More of the Bite Pokémon's plodding footsteps graced their senses.

"I wish we knew what that thing was doing," Astrid remarked.

"If I get up there and see that we're completely boxed into this corridor, I am _not_ gonna be happy," Arashi remarked, making just a bit of progress.

The Dartrix felt a limb of some sort on her head, which she hoped was the Froakie managing to crawl upwards. However, they also heard some more footsteps, and they appeared to be growing faster.

"What the heck is it _doing?_" Arashi mused, "We're in a rocky box! We can't hurt you, big guy!"

The Drednaw apparently wanted to hurt _them_, for the footsteps quickly plodded closer and the rocky shell holding them in place crumbled when Headbutted. Dodging it was impossible, thus the both of them were rammed by the Drednaw's hard horn, the rocks behind them getting bowled over. Quickly they found themselves in the room they were heading for originally, which thankfully held the staircase they were seeking.

"Owww!" Arashi yelped.

Astrid let out a grunt of pain, brushing herself off.

The Drednaw still snapped at them, but a Razor Leaf elicited another cry of discomfort, making it shrink up a bit. A Water Pulse finished it off.

"Guess we gotta keep _that_ in mind," Arashi remarked.

Wordlessly, Astrid nodded.

**Lake Lucent B2F**

The room they wound up on once they ascended was more pool than floor, at least half of the room covered by interconnected ponds with fish-like silhouettes stirring just far enough down to be obscured. Astrid kept a careful eye out for any of their occupants that might have jumped out and dragged her down into one, but the water-dwellers didn't seem too concerned with those on the solid surroundings… at least, as far as they could tell. Perhaps if one of them went swimming, that would rouse the dungeon-dwellers into striking back.

Astrid was sure to keep in the center of the floor between them, so as to put as much distance as possible between the pools and herself in case a silhouette inside of one decided to breach suddenly. She didn't know if her wings and stubby legs were any good for swimming, or if a Razor Leaf could even get any traction in the water to do damage, but she wasn't particularly inclined to find out.

"Hey, Arashi, hypothetically speaking…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she glanced about their surroundings.

"Yeah?"

"So, if someone were to… die… in a dungeon… What happens to them?"

Her comrade giggled. "Well, first of all, you'd have to _really_ screw up for _that_ to happen! You hear of Pokémon _fainting_ in them plenty, but anyone _dying?!_ Now, _that_ is rare!" he said, cheerful nonetheless. "I mean, if someone _did_ die, well… It kinda depends! Say, if you were a Caterpie, and you fainted because a wild Fletchinder attacked you, it just might eat you and you'd never be seen again!"

She blinked. _That_ did not sound pleasant for anyone save the hypothetical Fletchinder. "But what if you just… died? Like, took too much damage, got your head bitten off or something? Would you just… disappear?"

Another giggle. "Well, if that's ever happened, I haven't heard about it, and I guess no one else would either, if they just disappeared!"

Astrid too supposed so.

Arashi still wore his grin. "You're not worried about that, are you?"

She shook her head. "N-no, I'm not worried. Just trying to make sure every angle is accounted for… just in case."

The Froakie laughed. "You're good at that, aha!"

The edges of her beak curled up just a bit, then promptly went right back to normal when a splashing sound came from a pool next to them, followed by a Goldeen emerging from the water with its horn pointed at them.

"Oh, _here_ we go!" Astrid exclaimed, shaking some leaves loose from her wings.

"_Yiah!_" Arashi cried, the Horn Attack colliding with him.

The Froakie jumped back as Astrid's leaves jabbed at the Goldeen, getting a squeak of pain in return from it. The wild one flailed its fins around, apparently caught off guard from being stuck on solid ground for the time being, but clearly didn't take kindly to the move and turned towards them. The Goldeen opened its mouth and spit a Water Pulse at Astrid, who merely flapped up while sending another Razor Leaf down.

"C'mon, you go back in your pool," Arashi said nonchalantly, hitting it with a Quick Attack.

One last cry escaped the Goldeen as Arashi's move knocked it back into the water, the two of them watching to see if it would surface again. It did not.

"… I figured that would happen sooner or later," Astrid remarked, eyeing the pools.

Arashi shrugged. "Well, at least it's not a Gyarados or a Kingdra or something like that!"

"You're not wrong," she chuckled. "We've seen a few Wishiwashi here, too… _Definitely_ don't wanna meet a school of those."

Her comrade giggled. "Wouldn't _that _make a fun story to tell later!"

… Perhaps it would, or perhaps they would never see the light of day again- Astrid wasn't too sure.

Nonetheless, into the next corridor they went, where a bit of a skittering sound met them halfway to the other side. They both perked up.

"That better not be another Hatenna," Arashi mused.

"I doubt that," Astrid remarked, scanning their surroundings.

The source became apparent fairly soon when a stone overhead started to move and came plopping down overhead, the two of them scurrying apart just a bit to avoid it. It was a nicely carved stone… with a head and pincers that came creeping out, one of the pincers waving with an unhappy chattering escaping the Dwebble's mouth.

"Hey, little guy!" Arashi cried, shooting a Water Pulse nonetheless.

Another peeved cry came from the Rock Inn Pokémon and it turned its attention on the source of the attack, swinging one pincer to Slash the Froakie. Arashi jumped back in avoidance, and Astrid delivered a Peck to its head (not wanting to inadvertently catch her friend in the crossfires of a Razor Leaf).

"This is probably the _least_ strategic position you could've taken," the Dartrix remarked at their shelled visitor, the Dwebble letting out a screech and retreating into its rocky home.

Whether it had recoiled into its shell or not, another Water Pulse made it stay there for the foreseeable future.

Arashi giggled. "_That_ was easy!"

Astrid gave a little smile too, and back to venturing they went.

**Lake Lucent B4F**

A few Goldeen had hopped out to air their displeasure at their habitat being traversed, and a Golbat or two had swooped down, but…

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding! This is terrible!" the Dartrix cried, beholding the floor-or lack thereof- in front of them.

"Hm? What's so- _oh_," Arashi noticed too, peeking around his comrade.

The corridor they'd strolled through opened up to another room… if a singular narrow strip of solid ground between two pools could be considered a 'room.' It was more like an extension of the hallway, if anything, only with a habitat full of foes on both sides instead of walls.

There wasn't a way around it, either. The first room had lead to another room, which opened up into another singular hallway… which opened up into the bridge. A Remoraid leaped from one section of the pool into the other, and there was no shortage of silhouettes swimming about in the water.

"We're gonna get swarmed, aren't we?" Astrid said flatly.

"Probably," Arashi acknowledged, "This looks like a Monster House."

Astrid eyed him, looking uncertain. "A _Monster House?_ What is _that?_"

"It's a room in a dungeon where the feral ones are _particularly_ concentrated," Arashi explained, "They're usually hidden until you walk in, and then they'll all jump out and attack. Usually you want to go around them, but… I don't guess we have a choice here."

The Dartrix's feather ruffled up, and she tried to watch the silhouettes to see just what they might be facing. "So… once we walk out on that little strip of rock… they're gonna attack us?"

"Yep," Arashi answered, "We've mostly got the advantage here, but y'know, there's gonna be a lot of them. You thinking of something?"

"Well, we have the Pure Seed… But that's rare, right? We should save that for if things get really rough. Maybe if we just… Er, maybe if _I_ can fly really fast… We can get by them without much of a fight."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

The Dartrix fluttered her wings for some lift and carefully clutched her comrade in her feet, then flapped as hard as she could for speed as she rushed into the watery room. The second she did so, several of the silhouettes emerged- three Remoraids, a Dratini, a Corsola, and three Shelloses that clung to the bridge or walls with their sticky pseudopods.

"You weren't kidding!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Nope!" Arashi cried back.

Astrid flew as fast as she could, a few Water Guns and a Bubble Beam missing their marks, but a problem soon became apparent- the Dratini jumped out of the water in front of the opening on the opposite side of the room, and two of the Shelloses slithered up the walls surrounding it. Astrid loosed a Razor Leaf at them, but at the same time, the two Shellos summoned up an Ancient Power and struck back. The two shelled ones began to glow, and so did some of their rocky surroundings, which were then flung at the Starstorm duo.

Astrid flapped backwards to avoid it, along with another bubble barrage from the Corsola.

"Arceus above!" she shouted in dismay.

A Water Pulse from Arashi hit the Corsola, and another Razor Leaf from Astrid rained down on the ones blocking the doorway, while the Remoraids temporarily retreated underwater. The third Shellos crept up onto the bridge, shooting a Water Pulse that Astrid too flapped out of the way of. The figures of the swimming ones were hard to keep track of, but another flurry of leaves sailed into the water and stirred them into a frenzy. They didn't travel very far down into the water, but their presence was enough to upset the targets.

"Maybe we _should've_ brought Trixie!" Arashi exclaimed.

The Dartrix whipped up an Ominous Wind that struck all the wild ones present, which thankfully took care of the two Shelloses creeping about at their exit, though the Dratini screeched in wrath and shot a burst of purple energy at the two intruders. Astrid held her wings in to drop and let the Dragon Rage sail overhead, but one of the Remoraids poked its head up and hit her with a Psybeam to make her falter.

"Hey! Drop me!" Arashi cried.

Astrid did so, and the Froakie landed on the lone strip of rocky ground below. The Corsola apparently found him a closer target, for it too loosed an Ancient Power, but as it did so, another Razor Leaf took it out. The lone Shellos left tried to Body Slam Arashi, who in turn Quick Attacked it, a few of the glowing rocky pieces of rubble making contact with the both of them. The Shellos was knocked into the water, and the Dratini slithered closer.

The Remoraids perked up out of the pool, two Psybeams and a Water Pulse going for Astrid, and the Dartrix returned with a Razor Leaf while flapping back to avoid them, though one little jet of water made contact. One of the Jet Pokémon let out a cry and went limp, while the two others dove down in retreat. Astrid didn't bother to keep up with them and instead dove for the Dratini, giving it a swift Peck and landing. The little dragon furrowed its eyes in displeasure and spit a Dragon Rage, and the Dartrix was too close for it to miss.

"Ngh-!" Astrid cried.

While the Shellos was finding its way back to the bridge, Arashi Quick Attacked the Dratini, and it too went unresponsive. The Remoraids jumped out of the water with attacks readied in their mouths, but another Ominous Wind knocked them out before they could fire them.

The ones left looked at each other.

"… _That_ was stressful," Astrid remarked, shaking her wings a bit to reorient.

"… So much for that plan, ahaha…!" Arashi didn't disagree.

Astrid turned and headed for the bridge's end where the next tunnel met them, though she gave a glance back and inquired, "Just how common _are_ those…? Is that something we have to worry about…?"

"Not really," Arashi answered, "You don't see them often. We just got lucky this time, aha!"

Astrid wasn't sure if 'lucky' was the right word. The constant darting around and attacks flying everywhere certainly hadn't left a good impression, but they made it out, even if it left them both feeling rather tired.

**Lake Lucent B6F**

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be an abundance of Drednaws waiting around the corners for them, but Dwebbles, Golbats, and an occasional Shellos were more plentiful whilst walking about the rocky ground. Goldeen and Remoraid seemed to be the most populous species in the pools when they jumped about, but a few Dratinis slithered up now and then. One or two lone Wishiwashis would jump up and disappear back into the water infrequently, but never caused a stir. (Perhaps they were merely looking for their school and didn't want to deal with visitors alone.) It seemed whatever Corsolas may have been present were more at home on the bottom and thus didn't poke up to the top.

Astrid had to wonder just how the walls weren't caving in when there were clearly openings in the rock surrounding them through which water made little pools, but certainly wasn't protesting the fact that they weren't cracking under the outside lake's pressure. Perhaps that too was dungeon phenomena- it seemed to fit the 'strange' category quite well. She was also starting to notice a few pangs of hunger, but it wasn't significant enough to not be ignored.

"I'm gonna laugh if this 'Lord of the Lake' is actually a Fire- or Electric-type or something you'd never find at a lake," Arashi chuckled, giving the room a quick glance.

"Well, they _did_ say they didn't make the name up," Astrid mused, "I doubt they're from around here."

The Froakie started grinning. "Maybe we can get them to join our team! That'd be _great!_ They already have info on Salem, so that's a help in figuring out what she wants with you!"

Astrid wasn't opposed, but still noted, "They might have clues, but… we can't tell them that I'm a human. That's just something I don't want anyone else to know."

"Oh, of course not," Arashi concurred without missing a beat, "If word got out about that, you'd never get left alone! I bet you wouldn't like that very much, aha!"

Her feathers fluffed up, and she smiled awkwardly. "Y-you're definitely right about that."

Something about one corner seemed to catch both her and Arashi's eyes at the same time, for coming out of one trickling crack in the wall was a small shoot with what _looked_ like a pink flower growing on one end, a rather odd sight amid the grey stone and myriad of puddles.

"Ooooh! I didn't think they'd grow in a place like this!" Arashi cried happily, hopping over rather quickly.

"Huh?" Astrid inquired, slightly puzzled and skittering after him.

He carefully grasped the pink object, beaming at the sight of it. "A Sleep Seed! If anyone eats it, they fall asleep! Pretty useful, depending on the enemy!"

"Ah," she said, studying it. "I really should get all these seeds and orbs down; they seem to come in handy…"

When her comrade held it, she could see why it was indeed a seed and not a flower- the ornate and delicately colored ruffled seed coat certainly didn't give the appearance of a mere seed, but it didn't have the texture of a petal either. Nonetheless, if the effects were as her comrade described, it was something to be kept in store, and Arashi was quickly tucking it into the bag.

"That's not getting heavy, is it?" Astrid inquired, eyeing the bag.

It certainly seemed to be filling up, and the edges of several objects stowed inside made impressions through the fabric. It likely couldn't hold much more than what they'd already packed it with.

"Not really," Arashi brushed it off, "It's a little bulky, but it's fine! A well-stocked bag is a good thing to have!"

She wasn't disagreeing.

Off into another corridor they went, Astrid surveying every angle and Arashi peeking around a bit. A slight crunching sound of pebbles could be heard someplace further off, probably from one of the dungeon residents that wasn't in their immediate vicinity. The room they wound up in was mostly pool, the ground not reduced to a mere bridge but nonetheless not being far off from it. Most of the aquatic silhouettes seemed to be further down in the water, not really worthy of being paid much attention to.

There was one occupant, however- a Shellos that immediately crept towards them from the edge of one pool.

"C'mon, you guys are too squishy and cute to be threatening," Arashi chuckled, readying to attack it anyway.

"They're cute until they try to attack," Astrid mused skeptically while shaking some leaves loose.

And apparently attacking was on the Shellos' mind, for it began to glow with an Ancient Power and summoned up some of the rocky surroundings to fling. Astrid sent a Razor Leaf in return and quickly darted upwards with a flutter while Arashi hopped aside, the rocks crashing down onto the ground they'd occupied moments before. The Shellos found itself with some leafy protrusions jabbing into its gelatinous underside, which made it shriek, and a purple fluid began to trickle out from around the leaves. Their shelled company turned its attention on the Froakie, and spit a Water Gun his way, but Arashi wasn't too bothered and rushed out in a Quick Attack.

That… apparently wasn't the best of options. While the Shellos did indeed let out a cry indicating that Arashi's move had affected it, Arashi's face fell the second he tried to pull back from it.

"U-um…!" the Froakie stammered, finding himself stuck to the Shellos.

The Shellos only became frustrated at having an intruder so close.

"Oh, Arceus above, it has Sticky Hold," Astrid noted flatly.

The Dartrix dove down and (carefully) delivered a Peck, while Arashi Pounded it trying to get loose. The Shellos let out one last protestation and went limp, though more of the purple fluid oozed from its gel-like body portions.

"Oh, jeez…!" Arashi fussed, trying to un-stick himself.

Astrid carefully skittered around the purple ooze and grabbed the back of the shell with one foot. "Maybe if I try pulling it the other way…"

She did so, tugging the fainted Sea Slug Pokémon (whilst batting her wings for a bit of extra force) while Arashi tried to yank himself loose, and after a bit of work, they were successful… but Arashi still had a few sticky purple remnants that he didn't look too thrilled about.

"Remind me never to go stealing berries or anything from these little guys," the Froakie mused.

He spit a bit of water onto them and tried to rub them off on the ground, being careful to avoid any of the new purple puddles formed by the fainted one. Astrid, however, perked up, noticing the sound of crunching pebbles underfoot drawing a bit closer, but didn't see any foes nearby and thus didn't regard it that much.

"That's gotta be a pain in an aquatic environment," the Dartrix said, glancing at the Shellos. "That sticky stuff must just float around and coat everything…"

Arashi giggled. "You're probably right!"

They set off again towards the nearest corridor, but the sound of heavy footsteps graced their senses again before they saw the familiar source emerging from the hallway's entrance- another Drednaw. Its jaws started snapping almost as fast as it laid eyes on them.

"Aaaaand here comes another chomper," Arashi remarked.

Astrid said nothing, only swooping up her comrade as the Drednaw stomped the ground to bring up a Rock Tomb. The rocks jutted up, but the Dartrix was faster by a few moments.

Arashi gave a glance down at the new stones sticking up from the ground and said with a grin, "Hey, thanks!"

"I don't wanna mess with these ones; those jaws do _not_ look like they'd let go anytime soon," Astrid brushed it off, keeping her eyes on their biting company.

The Bite Pokémon instantly grew unamused at their avoidance of its attack and growled, still holding its jaws open in the event anything wandered close enough to chomp. If fired a Water Gun from its maw, and Astrid sent a Razor Leaf its way in return, to which it hunched up a bit in a failed attempt to lessen the damage.

"Hah! We're harder to reach in the air!" Arashi cried happily.

"_Exactly,_" Astrid affirmed.

The Water Gun sailed harmlessly past and dissipated into another puddle on the ground, and while the Drednaw did certainly seem to want to Crunch them, it didn't appear sure how to do so. Astrid certainly wasn't going to give it the opportunity to find out.

Arashi hit it with a Water Pulse, and Astrid hit it with another Razor Leaf to knock it out. The Dartrix let her comrade down and landed herself.

"Hey, Astrid?" Arashi inquired, slipping the bag off. "Snack break?"

That definitely didn't sound bad. "Yeah."

They munched down two apples and were shortly on their way again.

**Lake Lucent B10F**

"Arceus above! Make it stop! This _sucks!_" Arashi fretted.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Astrid cried in return.

The Froakie had certainly had better times than the one he found himself in, with a Golbat's fangs latched onto his head and Absorbing his health away. An Ominous Wind hadn't dissuaded it, and the Dartrix perched atop its head didn't seem to distract it either.

"Kyah, I can't reach the bag!" Arashi half-shouted, the object in question also somewhere in the Golbat's mouth.

"_Let go!_" Astrid hollered, delivering a Peck to the other winged one's face.

A cry of discomfort left the Bat Pokémon, but still, it wasn't turning loose. Arashi reached a hand up and Pounded it as best he could, which made it flutter a bit in uncertainty, but another Peck from Astrid finally roused it enough to take its fangs out of the Froakie and turn on the Dartrix, to which Astrid hopped down from its head.

"Why do the fanged ones always go for me?!" Arashi bemoaned, shakily backing away but awkwardly smiling nonetheless.

One of the Golbat's wings struck out at Astrid, but another Peck quelled it before it could make contact.

She shook her head, looking unamused at the newly fainted one. "I do _not_ like those things."

"I need a berry after that," Arashi mused tiredly, opening up the bag.

He certainly seemed to need one- a few bite marks were plainly visible on his face and a few trickles of blood dripped down from them, which probably was not the best experience even without the added type disadvantage of Absorb.

"Are you okay?" Astrid inquired.

"Yeah," he affirmed, wiping the blood off, "Just feeling a little drained, but I guess that's obvious, aha!"

It certainly was. The bite marks didn't go away, but the Froakie quickly gained his energy back, and off they went for the nearest corridor.

"So we should have less than ten floors left," Astrid mused, gaze darting about for any more feral company that might surprise them.

"Yep! They could show up at any time now," Arashi affirmed.

"I sure hope they're not hiding and we miss them," Astrid remarked.

Her comrade laughed. "Oh, c'mon, that's not gonna happen!"

The odds definitely seemed low… but she'd still be keeping her eyes out for anything that didn't quite belong.

The next corridor didn't have anything waiting for them inside of it, though the next room did have a rather large pool taking up much of one half and a smaller one closer to their entrance point. It looked to be empty, save for whatever lurked in the water.

"This place isn't so bad once you get used to it…" Astrid's voice trailed off.

"There's definitely worse out there," Arashi concurred.

A lone Wishiwashi splashed up once, then vanished back into the water. It caught their attention, but clearly it wasn't worth fretting over, for neither it nor anything else followed behind. The next two corridors were at the opposite end of the room, which the Starstorm duo headed for.

"We should come back here sometime and explore the surroundings," Arashi mused, "It seems like a pretty nice place!"

"Maybe we'll figure out why it's called 'lucent,'" Astrid said, "Because seriously- I see nothing lucent about this place. It's not as dark as Tranquil Tunnel or the bottom of Chasm Edge, but it's close."

Her comrade giggled.

Astrid kept some distance between herself and the larger pool, for it was certainly encroaching on solid ground, but the occupants didn't seem particularly keen on jumping out and attacking. However, another splash sounded behind them, along with a distressed cry of a dungeon occupant, and the two of them whirled around to see what the source was. Another Remoraid vanished into the pool for a moment, then peeked back up at them. It was hardly a second later that a multi-colored sphere of energy was gathering in its mouth, then firing off into an Aurora Beam straight at the Dartrix.

"_No!_" Astrid protested, hurriedly flapping aside.

"_Seriously?!_" Arashi exclaimed.

Astrid sent a flurry of leaves its way, and it dove back down, not resurfacing.

"We haven't seen one carrying that move the entire time and it just decides to show up?!" she objected to no one in particular.

"Guess we just got lucky," Arashi remarked.

Whether he meant lucky in not seeing one use Aurora Beam beforehand or lucky in finding one with the move altogether, she had no idea. Astrid shook her head, feathers fluffing up for just a second. The pool was passive again, and on they went… for a few moments, anyway.

Another splash made them whirl around once more, but the source was just a playful Wishiwashi that barely breached the surface.

However, at that moment, the Dartrix felt something else… something slippery and wet curling about one foot. She looked down, and an Octillery's tentacle grabbed hold of her, the rest of the creature just below the water's surface. It gave a yank almost as soon as she laid eyes on it.

"Hah, maybe you scared it off!" Arashi giggled.

"Ngh-!"

Shortly another splash and a short beat of wings could be heard, and the Froakie whirled back around… but couldn't find his comrade anywhere. He blinked.

"Astrid?" he asked confusedly. "Where'd you go?"

A glance up at the ceiling and about the room revealed that she hadn't just taken to the air, either. It appeared as though she had just vanished the second he turned around.

"Oh, come on, you're not even a Ghost-type yet and Dartrix can't learn Phantom Force," the Froakie mused, glancing around. "Unless you're _that_ special… And if you are, come out and tell me already! That's _cool!_"

In the water, however, Astrid found herself in a less-than-ideal situation, even with the lack of breathable air not considered. The Octillery's suction cups were stickier than the Shellos' strange purple fluid had seemed, and one of its limbs had pinned her wings to her sides. Death by Flamethrower had certainly been a troubling prospect, but… death by drowning seemed fairly bad too.

She couldn't see Arashi, and she couldn't see much else save for what looked like a Corsola or two at the bottom of the pool further down, but she hoped her comrade could grab a Drought Orb, and _fast_. With what tiny bit she could move, she sent a Razor Leaf- or at least intended to. The leaves didn't get very far before losing their momentum and floating up, while her assailant seemed to be readying an Octazooka. No, no, no- the word 'terrible' was all that came to mind.

"Where _are_ you?!" the Froakie called.

Arashi cast a glance back at the pool nearby, and noticed some bubbles coming up to the surface that probably weren't coming from any dungeon-dwellers. It seemed to be stirring, too… much more than usual. A few razor-sharp leaves floated up to the surface, followed by a burst of what looked like inky blackness that spread through the water.

He studied it for just a second before it registered.

"Oh, Arceus above! Astrid!" the Froakie cried, clamoring the undo the bag's flap. "_How?!_ I didn't even _see_ it!"

The bag was open in less than a second once he slipped it off, and a Drought Orb displaced several of their belongings onto the floor when he yanked it out. A bright flash followed from the orb, almost ridiculously so, and Arashi shut his eyes to avoid looking straight at it. The blinding rays dried up whatever water had been on the floor, startling the wild ones that inhabited the pools. All of them were startled, plopping down onto the bottom (save for the Corsolas already there) in seconds with cries of protest.

Astrid, however, was relieved. The Octillery seemed puzzled enough to let go, and immediately she flew out from its grip and back up to the top, albeit covered in black ink. She could see that the pool was around five meters deep with the water missing, which was certainly convenient on account of several dungeon-dwellers (the Octillery and two Corsola) trying to chase her down but finding themselves unable to scale the side. Several Goldeens and Remoraids flopped about, and some Corsolas and Shelloses looked rather unhappy.

"Are you okay?!" the Froakie called, looking a bit alarmed.

"I am now," the Dartrix replied quickly, giving a glance down at the pool's edge.

They quickly backed away from the pool's edge when a Corsola shot a Bubble Beam towards them.

The black ink was certainly doing no favors, and Astrid tried preening it out with very little effect. Her beak started getting blackened too when she ran it along her feathers.

"What happened?" Arashi inquired. "I turned around and you were gone!"

"An Octillery grabbed me and yanked me in when you were looking the other way," she answered, still trying in vain to get some of her natural color back and fluffing out in a little fluster. "I Pecked it, and I was _about_ to see if Ominous Wind worked underwater, since I couldn't pull off Razor Leaf that well… And I now know for a fact that I don't like swimming."

A little squawk of discomfort followed, the Dartrix puffing out before smoothing back down and shaking her head.

Arashi patted her wing, giggling a bit. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're okay… but you look ridiculous!"

"I do, don't I?!" Astrid fussed in return, "It's not like the Shellos fluid, but… Urgh, this is _so_ uncomfortable!"

Her friend laughed. "Oh, it'll wear off eventually! Don't worry too much; I'm sure the Lord of the Lake will still recognize you even if you're all inked up!"

She whimpered a bit in frustration, but elected to ignore the stains on her plumage. There would certainly be no washing it off, for there was no place left _to_ wash it off. After gathering up their items off the floor again, they went for the nearest corridor, one close on their west, and thankfully the stairs met them in the room connected to it.

**Deep Lake Lucent**

By the time they left the tenth floor, Arashi was free of bite marks and the both of them felt fully healthy.

The next floor looked quite a bit different than those preceding, lacking hallways and branches entirely, save for one lone corridor at the other end of the short room they wound up in and what appeared to be one leading backwards, which they occupied the exit of. The ground was back to being damp, and several cracks allowed water to flow into two little pools along the sides of the room, but no figures seemed to be stirring in them.

"Huh? This isn't the end, is it…?" Astrid inquired, glancing about.

"No, I don't think so," Arashi replied, likewise looking around. "This is a connecting floor. Sometimes you see them in certain dungeons when they're divided into parts."

"Parts…?"

"Yeah, like sections. Still the same dungeon, but more like, say… a grotto, a summit, or in our case, something like a basin."

She nodded, cataloguing that piece of information. "Okay, so… we're still in Lake Lucent. We just got through the _first_ part of Lake Lucent."

"Exactly," her comrade affirmed, "So we can go forward into the rest of the dungeon… Or we can turn around and head back, and that tunnel behind us will put us back at the entrance on the surface somehow. It's part of dungeon phenomena, so don't think too hard about how we end up back where we started."

Another nod. "Well, if the Lord of the Lake isn't here, I guess we gotta keep going."

"Probably," Arashi concurred, then glancing around again, "Hey! Lord of the Lake! Are you here?! It's us, Astrid and Arashi! Y'know, Team Starstorm!"

Astrid too studied their surroundings, but nothing stirred.

"Well, I guess they're not here," Arashi mused, still chipper as ever.

"Let's go, then," said Astrid.

Surely they'd find their target further down if no one stirred on the current floor. And their target indeed waited for them, deep in the bottom, just listening and watching for anyone else to come by. Two long pairs of claws glinted under the water.


	20. Chapter 20: An Awful First Impression

**Deep Lake Lucent B1F**

The air was much thicker and damper than the upper floors, and little droplets trickled down from the stalactites with regularity to fill the caverns with their dripping sounds. The layer of liquid coating the ground was thick enough to splash slightly with every step they took, but it wasn't thick enough to impede their traversing (or at least, impede Astrid's, since Arashi wasn't fazed much one way or another). The rocky walls bore more cracks, from which tiny waterfalls flowed, either into pools or into large puddles. The pools themselves weren't murky, but seeing through them wasn't an easy feat either. Only the faintest indications of silhouettes could be made out lurking inside.

"Still not lucent," Astrid remarked, scanning their surroundings.

Arashi giggled. "There's a reason! There always is!"

She wasn't so sure, but she wasn't going to protest it. The room they traversed only had one circular pool in one corner, but with nothing leaping out of it, they let it be. No use going and stirring up the dungeon-dwellers if they weren't attacking, and Astrid certainly didn't want to meet another Octillery's Octazooka anytime soon.

"So are we gonna see the same wild ones here…?" Astrid inquired.

"Probably a mix- some that we've already seen, and some new ones," Arashi answered, "At least, that's what's typical. I haven't _heard_ of any anomalies in this one, but you never know, aha!"

She considered the possibilities for a moment, then mused, "Well, we've seen Dratini here… And if we get knocked out by a Dragonite's Hyper Beam coming out of nowhere, I'm gonna be pissed."

Her comrade laughed. "Now, _that_ would be wild!"

Oh, 'wild' it most definitely would be- but whether those were good or bad connotations when Arashi used the word, she had no idea. (Probably the opposite of what she herself thought of it, she figured.)

Nonetheless, they strolled into a tunnel, water droplets streaking down almost akin to rain as they passed through. It wasn't submerged like its name might suggest, but the dungeon was _definitely _more befitting to Water-types than others. The feeling of her feathers clumping together wasn't the best, but Astrid supposed she wouldn't be drying off anytime soon. (It helped getting the black ink out of her plumage, at least, which she was thankful for- she couldn't help but think she bore resemblance to a drooping, ovoid Murkrow.)

"I bet the others are out at Verdant Meadow already," Arashi said, giving a quick glance behind them, then with a grin, "Poor Veeko's probably freaking out, and I'll bet anything that some Roselia is cursing Trixie's existence!"

Astrid chuckled a bit. "That seems about right."

"Next mission we go on, we need to take her with us," Arashi supposed, "Charlie and Lila too if they feel like it, but she's been asking, and we've had plenty of fun going solo."

"If the next mission doesn't involve getting close to Salem, anyway," Astrid mused, "I sure hope this Lord of the Lake knows what they're doing."

"Oh, I'm sure they do," Arashi brushed it off.

More pools than rock greeted them on the other end, around which ambled a Quagsire that gazed at the air for a second before it noticed them. It let out a cry that maybe would've been threatening… if not for the clueless, unconcerned look plastered on its face that said otherwise.

"Now _this_ is what I'd be glad to see more of," Astrid remarked.

A flap of her wings sent a Razor Leaf its way, and Arashi spit a Water Pulse too, while the Quagsire seemed to be deciding on a target for a Mud Shot to no avail. When their attacks hit, it let out another shout of discomfort and seemed to forget what it was doing several seconds prior, but seemed to lock on the Dartrix as the source of its frustration and fired a Water Gun instead. Arashi Quick Attacked it, which upset it again, but a swift Peck from Astrid knocked it out before it could do anything else.

Arashi giggled, hopping over its limp form. "They must be pretty happy most of the time, but they don't seem very smart!"

"Don't jinx it," Astrid said with a small grin, trailing for the next opening.

However, a red and rounded head peeked up from one pool that instantly wiped the grin off of her face, for the Octillery's turret-like mouth had the beginnings of an Aurora Beam forming in it. Instantly she was taking to the air and sending a Razor Leaf down at it while it crept out, the icy energy sailing just underneath her and crystallizing around a stalactite on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh,_ come on_," Arashi remarked, crouching down.

The Froakie rushed it in another Quick Attack while Astrid hit it with another Razor Leaf, but while their foe's tentacles flailed in discomfort at the sharp leaves jabbing through its skin, one of them wrapped around Arashi when he made contact and an Octazooka spewed from its mouth at him next.

"Awwww, jeez!" the Froakie protested.

He tried to quickly rub the ink out of his eyes while the Octillery's mouth started dribbling with poison before it spewed a Gunk Shot at Astrid. The Dartrix squawked in discomfort, quickly flapping out of the way before diving down and Pecking the Jet Pokémon. Its tentacles eased up just enough for Arashi to make his escape, albeit still drenched in ink. (The straps and several splotches on their bag took a much darker hue as well.)

"I do _not_ like these things!" Astrid cried in dismay.

Arashi leaped back as a Razor Leaf rained down on the Octillery, finishing it off.

The Dartrix breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Guess _they_ never have to worry about type advantages when they're carrying _those_ moves…"

Arashi giggled, hopping back to her side. "Must be convenient- for _them_, anyway!"

The Dartrix shook her head haplessly and went for the corridor again, Arashi close behind. The ink seemed to be wearing off of him almost as fast as it had coated him, and Astrid couldn't help but be just a bit jealous of that fact.

**Deep Lake Lucent B2F**

A Gastrodon floating about on the surface of a pool became upset almost as soon as the Starstorm duo entered the room it occupied and started creeping towards them with furrowed eyes.

"We should see what its ability is first," Astrid suggested, eyeing their foe.

Arashi wasn't far behind and spit a Water Pulse, which the Gastrodon let out a flustered growl at.

"So it's Sticky Hold," Astrid noted on seeing it seem to take damage.

"That's not so bad; we just can't touch it!" Arashi exclaimed, readying another Water Pulse.

The Gastrodon summoned up an Ancient Power and flung several rocky masses at the two of them, which Arashi jumped out of the way of and Astrid took to flying to avoid. The Dartrix shook some leaves out of her wings and sent a Razor Leaf, while the Gastrodon was more intent on Mud-Slapping Arashi with several clumps of mud it spit from its mouth. Astrid's leaves only scratched its shell on the upper portion of its body, but several also stuck into its gooey underside and made a sticky purple liquid trickle out. They took care in noting where it was so no one wound up inadvertently stuck in one place.

Arashi leaped out of the way of the muddy clumps, but the leaves apparently tipped the big gelatinous one over the edge for what it was willing to put up with. If a creature with such an unassuming face could snarl, the Gastrodon was certainly snarling, and its pseudopods seemed to be clenching into little 'fists' that tightly gripped the ground. A wave of Muddy Water gushed forth from around its body, and the remaining moisture in the room seemed to condense into its attack too.

"Oh, sheesh-!" Arashi cried.

"Ngh-!" Astrid grunted.

The entire room was quickly swamped by the wave and it overtook them, and even if they both may have resisted the attack, it still was unpleasant. The two of them went battering against the room's back wall, utterly swallowed in the murky water while the Gastrodon glared at them.

Nonetheless, the wave (thankfully) wasn't permanent and it dissipated, and they both slumped onto the ground. Two lone Wishiwashi found themselves displaced out of their pool and haplessly flopped about on the ground, trying to get back in.

"Owwww…!" Arashi protested.

"Urgh…!" Astrid breathed, staggering back to her feet as fast as she could.

The Gastrodon was already aiming for them with another Ancient Power, but another Water Pulse from Arashi knocked it out before it could be of much use.

Astrid shook her head, shaking off a little. "Well, I still think I'd take Sticky Hold over Storm Drain…"

"Me too," Arashi concurred.

A Quagsire crawled out of the pool next, but its back was turned and it seemed to be humming to itself without a care in the world. One quick glance was shared between the Starstorm duo, and they scurried off into the nearest corridor before it could notice them.

**Deep Lake Lucent B3F**

However, much to Astrid's dismay, a room with nothing but a small bridge over a room full of water met them once again, and she found herself hesitating to cross it. Lake Lucent B4F had been enough trouble with the same layout; she didn't want to repeat it with stronger foes so close to the dungeon's end.

"Is this one a Monster House too?" the Dartrix asked, carefully scanning the environment. "C-can we go around it…?"

Arashi peeked around her, looking it over too.

There weren't any silhouettes to be seen, and definitely no Golbats were hanging from the ceiling in wait, but of course, those lurking in the pool couldn't be fully discerned in any case. It seemed rather quiet and peaceful… but she couldn't be too sure.

"It doesn't look like it's a Monster House," Arashi answered, "It's probably similar terrain that just happened to have the same layout. But we can go back if you want."

She shook her head. "If it's not a Monster House, then that's fine… I just didn't want to get swarmed again."

Her comrade giggled. "Me, neither! But we should be fine here."

Astrid nodded and stepped out onto the rocky bridge, and true to Arashi's guess, nothing popped up from the water to ambush them straight away. The room seemed empty, save for whatever might have been stirring further down under the surface. Droplets plopping down onto the water's surface from the stalactites covered the pool in ripples, which might have been pretty to watch had they not been in a dungeon. Still, Astrid's eyes darted back and forth between both sides of the bridge, and she kept watch for any red appendages that may have tried to drag either one of them into the depths again. (Maybe Arashi wouldn't be too worried, but she definitely had no desire to meet another Octillery in its natural habitat.)

Something splashed about on the far end of one side of the pool, which they quickly noticed was yet another lone Wishiwashi flopping about harmlessly.

"We've seen plenty of those little guys, but not one has attacked us," Arashi mused nonchalantly.

"I'd prefer to keep it that way; the faster we can get to the bottom, the better," Astrid replied.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, a bright flash easily caught their attention from the water, and what looked like a frenzy of very small silhouettes began to coalesce into a larger one. A little squawk of alarm left her beak at seeing it appear so fast, and Arashi definitely took notice too.

"What _is_ that?" Arashi was a bit puzzled.

… Astrid had an idea, and she didn't like it one bit, especially not when it began moving towards them. "W-we should run," she said quickly.

She turned to do just that, and her comrade was fairly quick to catch on, but too soon for them to get very far, the creature- or rather, creatures- breached from the water. A gaping maw met them, connected to a much larger body of varying shades of blue- a school of Wishiwashi. It seemed intent on swallowing them up, too, and was in the prime position to do so.

"_No-!_" Astrid cried, frantically flapping her wings.

Arashi went to jump, but a little cry of dismay left his mouth as it was too close to escape. The mass of Wishiwashi went crashing down into the water, the Froakie disappearing along with them.

Astrid's beak fell open, the Dartrix staring haplessly at the spot her comrade disappeared. A sharp cry of fright left her beak the next second, and she turned to the water.

"_You've gotta be kidding me!_" she shouted, frantically pacing back and forth, "Arashi! Oh, Arceus above, _Arashi!_"

A flurry of leaves hit the surface of the water, but just as soon, they floated harmlessly on the surface. Another squawk left her beak, the Dartrix's mind racing with a million thoughts on what to do.

In the water, however…

"Oh,_ come on!_" Arashi objected.

A few of the Wishiwashi broke away from the school and tried to Beat Up the Froakie, but their attacks were more annoying than anything else. He shooed them off, trying to get the bag loose and open it up without its contents floating free everywhere. There was at least one upside to being swallowed by the Wishiwashi school- unlike a Sharpedo or Gyarados, there was no _actual_ danger of being eaten for lunch, even if the situation heavily resembled it.

There was definitely a downside, however- one of the little fish made an Uproar, and the rest followed suit, making an almost deafeningly loud attack with absurdly heavy reverberations. Arashi winced, feeling weak just from that alone.

Nonetheless, he managed to get the bag open, and reached inside for the Drought Orb.

Astrid, on the other hand, still stared holes through the water.

"Agh, can I even swim in this body?!" she fussed, her feathers puffed out in panic.

She was about to find out, she figured. No way was she leaving her teammate alone to fend off such a huge foe.

However, before she could make a move, another bright flash came from the water, and one that didn't resemble the Wishiwashi's distress signal. If a miniature sun could have appeared under water, that's what it looked like… and it quickly dried up whatever liquid was on the floor. The school of Wishiwashi split up when their surroundings changed so drastically, and the lone figure of a Froakie was left in the middle of a pile of tiny, flopping Small Fry Pokémon at the bottom of the pool.

Astrid blinked.

Arashi grinned. "Little help?" he playfully called up to her.

Without missing a beat, she darted down to her comrade and swooped him up, leaving the pool with just the myriad of flopping ones.

"I used the other orb; I didn't think I could take them like that, aha!" Arashi laughed.

"I'm glad we brought two, in that case," Astrid breathed in relief. "I thought you'd be a goner if you couldn't escape!"

"Me too! Guess that's why we haven't seen any of them attack us!"

That sounded reasonable as anything. Astrid set him down on the bridge and landed herself, her feathers slicking back down to their usual positions. (She also had to notice that what was left of the ink still clinging to them had seemed to evaporate along with the water in her feathers formerly diluting it.)

"I _really_ hope the Lord of the Lake isn't a Fire-type, or I'm gonna feel awful for them," the Froakie mused, giving the evaporated pool a glance.

Astrid had to agree.

**Deep Lake Lucent B5F**

"You know, this is gonna make a great story to tell later," Arashi happily giggled, "When we get back, if anyone asks us how the mission went, we can say that an Octillery tried to drown you and I got swallowed by a Wishiwashi school! Hah, I bet the Expedition Coalition would recruit us straight away if they heard _that_, aha!"

Astrid shook her head, chuckling nonetheless. "You really aren't gonna let that go, are you?"

"Never!"

"Well, don't tell your idols that we got saved by items, then, or it might not sound as cool," she remarked with a slight grin.

The Froakie didn't seem worried at all. "If Rush remembers us, that's all that matters!"

Perhaps it was, Astrid thought.

Into another corridor they went, where a Golbat was roused from its sleep on the opposite end and instantly began screeching at having company. Arashi hopped backwards a little for a better vantage point and spit a Water Pulse, while Astrid stirred up an Ominous Wind to halt it a bit. The Froakie darted forward and leapt at it in a Quick Attack while it tried to Crunch Astrid, which knocked it off of its course. The Dartrix was quick in delivering a Peck to it too, which did it in.

"Don't worry; Astrid doesn't like strangers, either," Arashi giggled, hopping over its limp form.

Astrid shot him a playfully pointed glance. "H-hey, now, it's not that I don't _like_ them, it's that I'd just much rather let you do all the talking…"

The room they entered was mostly empty, at least of living occupants that they could see. There was but one small pool in a corner, and it didn't seem to be stirring with anything, thus they headed for the next.

"Hey, Arashi…?" Astrid's voice trailed off in contemplation.

"Yeah?"

"Do… do you think these Expedition Coalition Pokémon could beat Salem…? I mean, you said that Rush and Rozen were practically invincible together, right…?"

"Well, if no one else could, I'm sure _they_ could!" her partner answered, "But that would involve them facing Salem first, and you can't exactly track Salem down, otherwise I'm sure they'd try!"

She nodded. If Salem wanted her, then maybe having a team like that in her corner was a good idea… A _really_ good idea…

Of course, that would surely involve more work. Even if her comrade _was_ a fanatic, she had to consider the possibilities.

**Deep Lake Lucent B6F**

"Hey! This must be the end!" Arashi cried happily.

It certainly seemed like it, for the room they wound up in had none of the usual corridors leading out from it. Much like the connecting floor at the end of the dungeon's upper division, the perimeter was lined by a pool with no silhouettes in it, and a great deal of miniature waterfalls coalesced into a cascade running into it. At the opposite end of the room from them was one rather large pool detached from the watery perimeter of the room by a thin circle of rocky ground, the water clear but of a rather dark blue color. Behind it was a smallish strip of solid ground before a wide hallway leading into pure darkness, what they guessed was the end of the dungeon.

"They should be here, then…" Astrid mused, glancing about their surroundings for any sign of another presence.

"Hey! Lord of the Lake! It's us! Astrid and Arashi, Team Starstorm!"

At that, the larger pool started to ripple, and a much bigger silhouette than most they'd seen (of course barring the Wishiwashi school) in floors prior came into view. A big splash followed as it emerged and jumped out, the water falling off of a hard silver shell covering a hunched arthropod body- a Golisopod. The claws that would otherwise be on the hind set of arms were retracted out of view.

"Ah, so you've come," said a deep, gravelly voice, their company taking a few steps closer to them. "I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Astrid fluffed up shyly at their company, though she tried not to be too discomforted. 'Lord of the Lake,' facetious or not, had apparently been an accurate description nonetheless, for the dungeon certainly seemed like a fitting place to find a Golisopod. The lack of the giant claws that would otherwise be there put her just a bit more at ease, but still, she couldn't help but be on edge.

Much to her relief, Arashi was the one to carry on. "Say, what's your name?" the Froakie asked, "We know it's not 'Lord,' aha!"

The Golisopod chuckled a gravelly chuckle. "That is correct," he said, hunching a bit and reaching one of the larger hind limbs out. "I am Azure. My comrade has far more ostentatious tastes than myself and suggested the moniker; I merely went along with it for covertness."

Arashi giggled, giving the best attempt at shaking hands he possibly could when Azure's appendage dwarfed his hand a dozen times over. "Nice to meet ya, Azure!"

"You are Arashi, correct?"

"Yeah, that's me! And that's Astrid, but I guess that's obvious!"

Azure looked at the Dartrix, straightening back up. "I thought so. You seem very shy."

The one in question fluffed up even more. "A-ah, er, I-!"

Azure chuckled again. "Do not fret. We all have different areas of comfort."

She deflated. "R-right…"

Clearly, her comrade was more than comfortable in engaging with their company, and quickly piped up cheerfully, "Alright, so what's going on, Azure? You'd mentioned having something urgent regarding Zariel and Salem and having a plan where no one got hurt."

The Golisopod nodded, two of his front claws rubbing together in what seemed to be a contemplative look. "Yes, that is correct. I prefer to have as little of a mess as possible when it comes to taking part in battle… which can be more difficult in certain situations than others, but it does seem I have handled it this time. You see, you could say that I am much more acquainted with Zariel than most, so when I heard news of her defeat, it instantly caught my attention. She is a truly terrifying creature when she runs wild."

The Starstorm duo had their attention caught as well. Astrid carefully took in Azure's words, cataloguing each one, while Arashi got wide-eyed at the mention of the Golisopod being acquainted with their fire-breathing foe.

"Wait, do you _know_ her?!" the Froakie cried, grinning.

"Something like that, yes," Azure answered. "I've seen many of her exploits and many of Salem's. But you know how it is- anyone who goes up against Salem gets crushed. There are things you cannot openly speak about when it comes to her. I did not wish to have my name anywhere in the records."

Arashi nodded, and Astrid did too, albeit with much less enthusiasm. The Dartrix's feeling of the spike through her front was plenty of a reminder of how Salem's syndicate treated dissenters.

"Oh, absolutely!" Arashi concurred, "She'd try to kill you if you went up against her, I'm guessing."

"I suppose she would," Azure mused, clicking his two front claws together. "But I suppose you could understand my motivations here. When something bad befalls a comrade you value greatly… You cannot ignore that, yes? I simply cannot stand by the wayside anymore."

Arashi nodded in agreement again. "Totally! I'd be a wreck if anything happened to Astrid!"

Astrid gave her friend a glance, then shifted her gaze back to the Golisopod. She understood the sentiment, to be sure… But somehow, their company was still putting her on edge. Perhaps it was still the recollection of their battle with the Charizard and Azure's mentioning of her antics that did so… Azure seemed candid enough, but in any case, she searched for a reason.

The word 'comrade' seemed to tickle her senses when the Golisopod said it. Indeed, _Zariel_ had mentioned having a comrade when the rain had started to wear on her, as if having her missing teammate there would've nullified the Starstorm duo's efforts. Of course, they'd won that fight by taking advantage of the rain's effects, given that a Fire-type would've been highly uncomfortable in it and Arashi's Water-type moves were boosted… Therefore, Zariel having a Water-type partner to cover her made sense…

The poster's words yet again graced her mind. 'Only known underling is a Charizard who has also escaped apprehension thus far; suspected to also be in contact with an aquatic species.' Golisopod was an aquatic species. She might've doubted the association, but as Azure had put it… 'I am much more acquainted with Zariel than most others, so when I heard news of her defeat, it instantly caught my attention.' 'When something bad befalls a comrade you value greatly… You cannot ignore that, yes?'

… Perhaps it was ridiculous, but Astrid wasn't overlooking it.

She studied Azure hesitantly. "… You're Zariel's comrade, aren't you?"

Two gazes fell on her at once, a wide-eyed and awkwardly uncertain one from the Froakie and an indifferent one from the Golisopod.

"H-huh?!" Arashi exclaimed. "Why would you think that? He wrote us asking for help!"

The Golisopod looked her straight in the eyes, still clicking his claws together. She shrunk up a bit but didn't take her eyes off of their company as she replied, "Zariel mentioned having s-someone else when we made it rain… Water-types do well in the rain, so that would c-cover her weakness, and Golisopod is a Water-type. Salem's poster mentions a suspected aquatic species, and if he's mentioning how he's seen Zariel and Salem a lot, then..."

Azure's eyes practically stared holes in her. Her own eyes went wide, and Arashi started looking a bit reluctant though he still smiled.

"… You lured us here to get revenge for Zariel, didn't you…?" Astrid said, hardly above a whisper. "O-or at least, because of… m-_me_…"

A look of pure disbelief was plastered on Arashi's face. He awkwardly looked to Azure and mused, "Oh, c'mon! Water is the most common type of them all; let's have a bit more faith in this guy than that! He's clearly just on the run!"

Azure didn't even look at the Froakie as he replied, "… No, the human is sharp. I have to commend her- I wasn't expecting to be found out that quickly."

Astrid whimpered, fluffing up and taking a few steps backwards. This was not how she had imagined this meeting going, and it didn't bode well for one second. They weren't out in the open; there was no settlement nearby to run to…

Arashi's face fell. "W-_what?!_"

Azure chuckled again, ceasing to click his claws. "It's true. I had hoped to string you along and turn you over to Salem without a fight by convincing you it was Zariel that I had a problem with. I suppose Astrid sees straight through that attempt, so it seems fruitless to keep the act up now."

She was still terribly frightened, but nonetheless, her wide eyes went narrow.

Arashi certainly wasn't amused, either. "Now, that's just dirty!"

"Of course it is," Azure brushed it off. "As much as I may value Zariel, I'm not about to let the human slip away. Salem wants her, and Salem is going to _get_ her. You can't possibly run forever, Astrid- you may have escaped another I have not met, and you may have escaped Zariel, but you will not escape _me_. I set this encounter up for that very purpose, so if you were smart, you would give up."

"Well, it's not gonna work anyway!" Arashi hollered, "You can't have her, and she's not joining you!"

Certainly, Astrid didn't intend to join Salem any time soon. Perhaps she could swoop up her comrade again and escape down the dungeon's exit before a fight could happen… Perhaps. That hinged on what moves Azure had in his arsenal that might get in their way, but it was worth a shot. If this was one of Salem's underlings, then a battle wasn't the best option. This one wasn't like Zariel- if they could leave the dungeon, Astrid could fly them both away unimpeded.

The Golisopod wasn't fazed. "Go on and attack me if you're so sure, Arashi. You also have gotten lucky in this turn of events, but I must ask the both of you… Just how far do you expect your luck to _take_ you?"

Astrid's eyes went between Azure and the path out. There wasn't any time to waste if they were to escape, and she spread her wings out to flap.

Arashi, however, apparently had another idea. "We can do this! I'm not scared of you!"

The Froakie rushed for him, and Astrid's eyes went wide again.

"H-hey, Arashi-!" the Dartrix cautioned, though she quickly realized such was useless.

Arashi's Quick Attack was fast, but Azure's First Impression was faster. Almost too quick to see, one of Azure's larger back arms shot forward and his claws extended straight through the Froakie's body without a shred of resistance.


	21. Chapter 21: Breakout

Astrid's beak fell open, and her eyes shot as wide as they could go in sheer disbelief. Azure's claws rammed straight through her comrade's front and out of his back, one through an eye and the other through his chest. The bag Arashi carried went clattering to the ground with a severed strap, the ink blots joined by splotches of blood. Astrid could hardly register the scene before her as being real, but the red streaks on the Golisopod's claws and the bright red droplets falling to the dull ground grabbed her mind and refused to let go.

"Ngh-…! Yiah…!" Arashi gasped, the bubbles about his neck taking a crimson hue.

"She chose _you?_ Pathetic," Azure said flatly, staring straight at the Froakie.

The Dartrix, however, finally managed to close her beak and get a grip, but the only word she could shriek out was "_Arashi!_"

She darted for Azure with a mishmash of flying and running, her mind moving far faster than she could get her limbs to, and the Golisopod's gaze fell on her next. He didn't make a move for her, but still eyeing her, he retracted his claws back to turn loose of Arashi and rammed him again with a water-shrouded forearm. The Liquidation smashed the Froakie into the wall, leaving a red splatter on the stone as Arashi's still-intact eye went blank. Shortly, Arashi was falling into the pool and left only a ripple and a bit of red-tinted foam on the surface, his form vanishing in the water.

Azure laughed a gravelly laugh. "Nice try."

Astrid let out a sound somewhere between a horrified scream and a screech of fury, her beak trying to tear into the Golisopod's softer flesh under the silver plate of his back arm, but another Liquidation from his other clawed appendage made her flit backwards and land where she had originally stood. In any case, her eyes stayed locked on the reddish puff of bubbles where her comrade had vanished into the water, and very soon tears were streaking from her eyes. Arashi wasn't emerging, and she had a distinct feeling he wouldn't, not with what Azure had just dealt. She wanted to go diving in and drag her teammate back out, then at least try shoving an Oran berry in his mouth, but Azure's claws flashed back into view and didn't retreat. She'd have to get past the Golisopod to do so… and while she had half a mind to try, her comrade's blood on his claws disturbed her more than anything.

That sticky red liquid belonged to her partner, her friend, someone who cared deeply about her and she in turn cared deeply about. And that partner was gone, because the emissary standing between her and the pool had wanted _the human_, which she was.

Her feathers ruffled out and her eyes shot between the Golisopod, the red bubbles, and the lone way out of the dungeon. She didn't have any time to think about escaping, for the next moment, Azure turned to face the exit with a whitish glowing clawed hand that he raised towards the ceiling, causing some of the rocks and stalactites at the end of the room to likewise glow, then fall in a Rock Slide. Whatever hopes she may have had of quickly making her escape were sealed off along with the tunnel's opening.

Astrid whimpered, eyes huge and staying primarily on the pool but still darting up at the emissary every few seconds. Azure took a few steps closer to her.

"L-let's talk about this, alright?!" the Dartrix bleated out, pure dismay in her countenance. "You just killed my partner; I don't wanna fight anymore…!"

"Good," Azure said, studying her.

Astrid buried her face in her wings and let out another screech. "I'm sorry, Arashi…! I'm so sorry…!"

There wasn't any venue left to run away through. She couldn't even tell her friend goodbye. This… _this_ must've been what happened to anyone opposing Salem, what would probably happen to the others she was fond of if she went back to them… Maybe, had she been just an ordinary citizen of this world, she would've thought differently, but this attack didn't happen for no reason. It was _because of her_. She didn't like that thought… and she especially didn't like the possibilities her mind conjured up of what might happen if she didn't stop it from happening again. Maybe… maybe joining Salem _was_ the better option.

Astrid snapped back up when she felt something touching her head, and she shortly noted that it was one of Azure's claws giving her what looked like a friendly pat. Her friend's blood still streaking off of it made her recoil and whimper in perturbed uncertainty.

"Don't mourn what isn't useful to you," the Golisopod said gently, "There are plenty of better partners out there. We'll get you a new one."

She shook her head, trying to wipe the red liquid off of her feathers. "I don't want another one…!" she choked out, "What is it Salem wants?! Can't someone _tell me_ already?! You're right; I can't run forever, and if it stops other Pokémon from getting hurt, then I'll…!"

Another pat from Azure, which she squeaked at in discomfort. She didn't like the friendly gestures from one who had just deceived and threatened them, and she _certainly_ didn't like having the blood of her friend repeatedly flashed in front of her face.

"My apologies; I have been told not to discuss specifics until you are firmly within Salem's grip, which you currently are not," Azure answered, two of his front claws clicking together. "The only reason I have told you even my name thus far is because I am certain you cannot escape. It's to keep things covert, inconvenient as it may be."

Astrid whimpered, staring at the water.

"But, I do believe I am at liberty to speak of several aspects," the armored one noted, "Have you met with your sender? As in, the one who sent you to this world? I assume they would be trying to contact you."

The Dartrix carefully mulled over her response, her attention still mostly on whatever remained of Arashi on the water's surface and not anything else. She had been contacted by _someone_, that was for sure… But still, she shook her head no.

"… Well, I assume their attempts have been unsuccessful. That seems par also," Azure brushed it off, "But that too is due to Salem's involvement. Truthfully, she would prefer you alive so you can be of use to her, but so long as you do not get in her way, she is satisfied. Zariel may have been itching to let loose and splatter you across the wall, but I… I don't prefer such methods."

If there was _anything_ to be thankful for, that was it. As bleak and unpleasant as the situation was already, the fact that Azure wasn't going to murder them even more violently than he'd attacked Arashi was a benefit, low of a bar as it may have been. She thought of the static-laden voice in her dreams, and if that stress-induced static was due to Salem's involvement… It was an answer, as unpleasant of an answer as it may have been.

However, something caught her eye in the pool. A slight… glimmer. Something was illuminating the water below the surface, but she couldn't tell what it was. Maybe with a name like 'Lake Lucent,' the pools were apt to occasionally glow. Azure didn't notice it with his back turned to it, and Astrid was too focused on the dissipating red foam to care.

"I can tell you're intelligent, Astrid," the Golisopod continued, "So tell me… If this world is going to be subdued one way or another, would you not prefer to be at the top? Salem is willing to let you take a position at her side, provided that you don't go against her."

Another whimper escaped her beak. Salem didn't seem like anyone she'd ever want to be at the side of, especially not with the happenings she'd just witnessed, but Azure's talk of subduing the world concerned her more than anything. He made it sound as if there _was_ no other option, though she scrambled to think of some.

Something _else_ in the pool caught her eye- more bubbles, and not red-tinted ones. The glow faded, and the next moment, a hand reached up, but not that of a Froakie. No… The fingers were too flat, and the hand was too big.

"I-I j-just want to know…" Astrid stammered, carefully watching the water, "W-what if… W-what if I said no a-and went against her…?"

The Golisopod clicked his claws again, studying her. "Well, that would leave two options."

Something else emerged after the hand- a head, predominantly a darker blue but with a lighter blue underside and eyelids. The bubbles were still there, but more akin to a scarf than a cape… Astrid's eyes shot wide again at seeing a Frogadier peeking back at her.

Without making a sound but still grinning happily, Arashi held one finger in front of his mouth in a shushing gesture, and Astrid too didn't make the surprised cry she otherwise would have. Her friend was alive- that in and of itself changed several factors. She couldn't have been gladder, but she didn't dare show it with Azure watching her.

"See, the most apparent option would be to kill you," Azure calmly explained, "But Salem, you, and I myself don't prefer that option. It would be a terrible waste."

Indeed, she _didn't_ like that option. She would have whimpered if she hadn't been more intent on watching Arashi carefully slink out of the pool, not making so much as a splash. It was just a bit odd, Astrid had to think, watching her comrade walk about on two legs after seeing him hop everywhere… but Arashi didn't seem bothered at all. Had Azure turned around, he would have seen that his attempt at getting rid of her comrade had failed… but Azure did not.

"The _other _option…" the Golisopod's voice trailed off, his claws still clicking contemplatively, "Is one I can guarantee you will like even less. Losing control of one's mind and body is rarely something that anyone desires, and I can easily tell that you would not enjoy such. But that, of course, would be provided that you continue to defy Salem. It would not be hard once she got ahold of you, and she _will_, one way or another."

The wanted poster had warned of such- 'suspected to temporarily utilize mind control on some victims for nefarious purposes.' She wasn't surprised that Azure was bringing it up, but as unpleasant as death seemed, being used as a tool seemed fairly bad too… Especially with someone that seemed intent not to let her go anytime soon…

"A-ah…" the Dartrix stammered reluctantly.

She was still watching Arashi, who in turn watched her and Azure while carefully opening up the flap of the bag without making a sound. She didn't know what he was doing, but the mere fact that he was still alive was plenty enough to ease her discomfort somewhat. Azure _hadn't_ taken her partner from her, and she wasn't going to let him succeed if he tried again, either.

"B-but… W-why…?" Astrid squeaked, still watching her friend, "Does she just want me because I got sent here to stop her…?"

Azure shook his head. "That is but a small facet. She would be glad to tell you the full details, but I cannot."

Astrid's eyes drifted up to Azure for a moment, then went back to her comrade. The Frogadier gave her a wink, ever-so-carefully retrieving their Sleep Seed.

"Zariel was right to say that humans-turned-Pokémon are extremely valuable," Azure noted, "But that has less to do with their rarity and more to do with tactical advantage. It scares the vast majority of individuals to find what they're _truly_ capable of… But Salem will make sure you do. Wouldn't you like to know too, Astrid?"

She wasn't so sure, but she didn't have much time to give an answer regardless. Arashi clutched the Sleep Seed in one hand and made a mad dash towards Azure from behind, the scurrying sounds of which _did_ alert Azure to something being amiss, but it was no matter. Azure went to turn around, but before he could do so, Arashi took a big leap and landed atop his head.

"_Wha-!_" the armored one cried while reaching up with one of his back arms, but was quickly cut off.

Before Azure could do much, Arashi shoved the seed into his mouth, and the emissary's movements came to a screeching halt. Azure's eyes drifted closed, and his arms hung limply at his sides, though he stayed standing in a slightly more hunched posture.

"Whew! I thought I was _dead!_" Arashi exclaimed, jumping down.

Astrid blinked, looking between the motionless Golisopod and the Frogadier. "I-I did too!" she cried, "I was almost ready to give up after seeing that!"

"Figured out why this place is called Lake Lucent, but you'd only discover Luminous Pool if you could swim. Azure was guarding an evolution spot too! Hah, I got lucky!"

The Dartrix shook her head. "And he's blocked our exit," she noted of the Rock Slide shutting off the only tunnel outwards, "So for now, I guess we're stuck fighting him, since I am _not_ joining Salem if we have a chance."

Arashi nodded. "I didn't think you actually would!"

"We'll talk about this afterwards," the Dartrix declared, shaking some leaves loose from her wings.

Several razor-sharp leaves jabbed into Azure's softer underside, but he didn't budge. Arashi darted back over to the bag and retrieved an Oran berry, which he quickly scarfed down. Astrid figured he too likely wasn't at full health after being near-dead.

"I think I have an idea," Astrid mused, flapping up on Azure's head and delivering a Peck to one eye.

"Shoot," Arashi said before darting out in a Quick Attack.

She Pecked the Golisopod again. "My attacks are most effective here between us, but he has the home turf advantage and I'm betting on him trying to bury us in another Rock Slide or something. He's gonna wake up, and for us to get out, we're gonna have to move those rocks, and that's gonna be a pain either way. There's no way we can do that while he's attacking us, so if I can hang out near the exit, I might get him to displace them with another attack, and we can make a run for it. Really, I'm gonna have to stick _way_ closer to him than I'd like… So can you aim your Water Pulse at his face and throw him off? Neither one of us need to get hit with those claws."

The Frogadier nodded. "Absolutely!"

Astrid delivered another Peck while their target was asleep, not wanting to waste time, but shortly his eyes shot open and instantly Azure's claws were extended back out and going for her. She flapped out of the way, letting out a little squawk of protest. Nonetheless, the Golisopod glanced around while Astrid landed on the rocky ground next to her comrade, and one of his eyelids twitched in pain at having the Dartrix's beak pry at it repeatedly.

Azure's eyes fell on Arashi first. "… You. That was your doing, yes?"

"Sure was!" Arashi replied, crouching down and still grinning, "That felt terrible, but you didn't kill me!"

Azure shook his head. "... I was sure a First Impression alone would be sufficient to permanently subdue you, but I attacked again just to be sure. I suppose I underestimated your willpower to live, and you hung on for just enough time to find the evolution spot."

"Yep!"

"How troublesome. I'm not supposed to let any of you outsiders evolve, and only an aquatic species would find this one… Yet I was so sure I'd solved having an aquatic species present," the Golisopod remarked flatly, then looking at Astrid, "And you. You've gone and attacked me… I suppose calmly talking things over is out of the question."

Her eyes narrowed, and she held one of her wings out at the ready to attack. "… Y-you're terrible. Killing me or taking control of me is the only way I'd join Salem."

Azure contemplatively clicked his front claws together again. "So a battle is the way you'd wish to settle things? I am in my preferred terrain, and you've seen that I do not mind ripping other Pokémon to shreds, messy as it may be. If you lose, and I am _sure_ you will lose… You'll have no recourse. Are you truly willing to make that gamble?"

Her feathers fluffed out in unease, but with still-narrowed eyes, she nodded.

"… Very well, human."

The next moment, Azure rushed at her and she left the ground, while Arashi spit a Water Pulse before leaping aside. Thankfully Azure couldn't make use of First Impression again, but Astrid wasn't fond of the X-Scissor coming her way either as she sent a Razor Leaf. He still had blood on his claws from Arashi, and she wasn't going to add hers to the mix.

"Just don't claim I didn't warn you!" Azure shouted.

Astrid didn't bother replying. The sudden splash of water on his head didn't pain Azure at all, just made his scales look more shiny, but still the tips of his claws brushed up against Astrid's chest and ripped a few feathers loose. She could fly backwards quick enough to avoid the brunt of the damage, but his attack still broke skin under her plumage and it stung. Whether he actually _intended_ to rip anyone to shreds, she didn't know, but she wasn't trying to find out any time soon.

Nonetheless, with him closer, she sent another Razor Leaf aimed for his face, but one armored hand reached up and shielded her target. The leaves scratched the silvery plating, but didn't do much else.

"Trying to blind me, are you?"

She was, but seeing as the attempt failed, she flapped towards the end of the room, and Azure shortly turned to follow. Arashi spit another Water Pulse, but one of Azure's clawed hands took a whitish glow and he held it up towards the ceiling, where several of the stalactites overhead took the same colored glow and detached from their positions.

"_Why?!_" Astrid protested in hapless dismay.

"Oh, jeez!" Arashi cried, looking upwards.

They shortly had plenty of dodging to do, while Azure merely chuckled at their frantic movements and went mostly unscathed himself. The spikes above the Golisopod weren't falling, but whatever little pebbles did come clattering down in his vicinity bounced off of his armor.

"Ngh-!" Astrid cried, getting a wing grazed by one of the stalactites.

Another stone clattered onto her head, making her falter for a second. Arashi spit another Water Pulse while jumping aside of a rocky spike, but Azure simply held up another plated hand and blocked it while the Frogadier too was struck by a rock.

"Owww!" Arashi protested, flinching slightly.

With claws slashing in another X-Scissor, Azure went for Arashi next, but the Frogadier quickly leaped out of the way and only let the Golsiopod cleave the air. Astrid stayed put over the pool's edge and sent a Razor Leaf, hoping that Azure would turn back to her and come closer. She wanted to glance back at the exit and see if _perhaps_ there was a nook or cranny that they could use to dislodge enough stones to get free, but figured even a small gesture like that was best left out. Nonetheless, Azure didn't seem too concerned with Arashi and turned back to her next, running closer while one forearm became coated in water. Arashi too darted over to the pool's edge, and Astrid whipped up an Ominous Wind, but the Golisopod only winched a bit at it. A Water Pulse hit Azure's face at the same time he retracted his claws and used Liquidation against the Dartrix, and it did throw him off a bit, but nonetheless it was still too close and Astrid took the blow.

"_Ngh-…!_" she grunted, a hard _thud_ audible as Azure's forearm slammed into her.

"Sorry!" Arashi exclaimed.

She might have resisted the move, but it sure didn't _feel_ like it and her eyes scrunched up in a pained expression, staying in the air becoming a bit harder. Still, she wasn't going to waste time either, and while the fleshy underside of Azure's armored plate was close to her, she Pecked it.

The Golisopod growled a bit in pain, his eyes narrowing at her, but all the same, he… vanished. His figure was gone entirely, not a trace left behind.

"_What?!_" Arashi cried, blinking at the spot Azure had just occupied.

Astrid shook her head tiredly, having an idea of what came next. "Be ready."

Without missing a beat, she flew closer to the rocky barrier keeping them captive, hovering just between the edge of the pool and the small strip of solid ground separating it from the wall, then turned around and scanned the room. Arashi didn't ignore her words and glanced about too.

Indeed, Azure was still physically present- albeit closer to where the Starstorm duo had been when they had first entered the floor. His claws were clicking and his eyes were narrowed.

"Oh? Did you think I had left you?" said his gravelly voice, "Rest assured, I would never."

Astrid's gaze darted to Arashi. "Use Quick Attack and aim for his back arm plates," she said in a hurry.

Arashi smiled at her, but he definitely looked confused at what she was getting at. Quick Attack had utterly backfired the last time, but nonetheless, he went along with it.

Azure seemed to move too fast to see again, but this time, his First Impression went straight for Astrid… Or at least it would have, if Arashi didn't crash into his forearm and redirect it into a smaller boulder beside the Dartrix just a split second before the claws made contact.

_Wham!_

Azure's claws went straight through the boulder, making Astrid squawk at being so close. Nonetheless, she sent another Razor Leaf and flitted further away, keeping in the air over the pool. Arashi's eyes went wide too, and he promptly followed in darting back.

"Arceus above! _You called that!_" the Frogadier exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Well, maybe _he_ can tell us, but what other purpose does Emergency Exit serve other than to use First Impression again?!" the Dartrix cried, her feathers ruffling up.

Azure only chuckled at them, shaking a few of the sharpened leaves loose and ripping his claws back out of the stone. It became dislodged and rolled to the ground, making a few more become dislodged too and clatter out of place. Astrid couldn't help but notice them… With the ones that had become displaced, the top of the corridor's opening was visible. It was probably enough for Arashi to squeeze out, but to displace one or two more for Astrid to make her escape too was something that just wasn't feasible with their situation. She'd wind up taking another X-Scissor or, the heavens forbid, get buried in another Rock Slide if Azure noticed what she was trying to do.

"You're sharp, Astrid," Azure laughed sardonically, turning back to them.

Nonetheless, again he raised a forearm with a whitish glow, and while they looked up to see if rocks would fall again, it was the ones on the ground that started glowing.

"Oh, _come on!_" Astrid haplessly cried.

The rocks flew at them, and again they had plenty of dodging to do. Several of the larger boulders made big splashes when they missed Astrid and fell into the pool, and more of them went crashing into the ground as Arashi scurried to avoid them. Another Ominous Wind struck out at the Golisopod, eliciting a growl of discomfort, and also at the Rock Slide remnants on the exit… but the stones didn't move hardly at all. Still, while fluffed out in fright at the thought of getting close, Astrid flapped closer to their target. She dove down to deliver a Peck while Arashi spit a Water Pulse, and their target couldn't avoid Astrid's move in time while trying to block them both with an armored plate. Nonetheless, an X-Scissor followed shortly, which Astrid barely flapped out of the way of.

Just a bit more, just a bit more… If Azure was down on his health, _maybe_ they could win. They weren't permanently blocked in, but getting out would be no easy feat, either… Astrid didn't think she could take another attack, and her gaze drifted to the stained remains of their bag where one last Oran berry was. She sent another Razor Leaf and darted over to it.

"Just a second!" she called to her comrade.

"Go on!" Arashi called back.

Her feet peeled the flap back as she landed, and fast as she could move, she picked the berry up with her beak and tore a few chunks of its light blue flesh out. She began feeling better instantly.

Azure, however, went for Arashi as the nearest target, not thinking too much of the Dartrix.

"Your partner is one matter, but _you_…" Azure mused flatly, going for an X-Scissor.

The Frogadier's Quick Attack made it miss, and made the Golisopod stumble a bit. Azure's front two claws jabbed inwards at Arashi on the Frogadier making contact, but it was to no avail too as Arashi quickly sprang back again.

"… You're just outright irritating," the Golisopod remarked tiredly. "Innocuous, but irritating."

"At least I'm not _you!_" Arashi wasn't too fazed.

Astrid perked back up and immediately set her gaze on Azure again, but she didn't attack straight away. He seemed more intent on catching Arashi in another X-Scissor, but her comrade instead jumped into the pool and came out on the side closer to her. Azure ran around the pool's perimeter after him and tried it again.

That… was fine. They had a way out; it just needed to stay that way, and any more Rock Slides in the vicinity might mess it up.

She didn't attack straight away, but skittered a bit closer to the wall that Azure wasn't facing.

"_Yiah!_" Arashi cried, taking one of Azure's hits.

The Golisopod's claws left some red-streaked scratch marks on Arashi's front, which of course pained the Frogadier, but Arashi was still standing and spit another Water Pulse.

Astrid, however, flapped up behind Azure… then promptly dove down onto his head and Pecked one eye as hard as she could muster.

"_AGH-!_" Azure shouted.

Arashi winced as well when another red trickle dripped down from Azure's eye. "_What is it with you and going for the eyes?!_" he exclaimed, shivering a bit.

A Liquidation smashed into the Dartrix, and while it indeed hit far harder than she hoped, she didn't mind too much and sent another Razor Leaf while falling to the ground. She caught herself with a flutter of her wings.

One of Azure's front claws went to his eye, putting a bit of pressure on it. "I too would like to know," he said in a tired breath.

"Oh, I'd like to know a _lot_ of things," Astrid shot back, completely unamused while stirring up an Ominous Wind.

It wasn't an attack that could be avoided, as much as her target might have liked to.

"Nghhh..!" Azure grunted as it hit.

Fairly quickly, it became apparent that the Golisopod had little strength left, for he stumbled and fell in a hunching heap on the ground with one clawed forearm shakily outstretched toward them. It too went limp shortly.

Arashi blinked, eyes a bit wide but a grin creeping across his face. "… H-hey! Did we win?!"

"Agh…!" came Azure's gravelly voice, however subdued it was.

Astrid let another Razor Leaf go. Azure fell silent, not moving at all.

"… We did now," the Dartrix said flatly, "And frankly, between the beast, Zariel, and _this_ guy… I'm not sure which one I like the least."

Her comrade gave her a hapless smile. "Well, between getting impaled, and getting _impaled and_ _roasted_, I'll take just plain old getting impaled!"

She couldn't disagree with that sentiment. "Let's get out of here. I don't wanna be anywhere close when he comes to."

Arashi nodded, sticking one arm across the scratch marks, and both of them scurried over to the exit. Astrid flapped up to the stones on top, while Arashi grabbed the remnants of the bag before following after her. A few of the smaller rocks went tumbling down the moment the Dartrix perched on the upper layer.

"I think _you_ can get out through here," she noted of the smallish opening at the top, studying it just a bit.

Her comrade chuckled. "Looks like I could, but I'm not gonna leave you here with this guy!"

She studied it some more. "Maybe if I grab hold of one, and maybe you wet it a little to make it slippery, we can get these things out of the way…"

She ended up grabbing the top of one smallish boulder with her feet while Arashi spit a Water Pulse underneath it, making a few of the smaller stones slide around just a bit and several more come clattering down. It took some hard flapping, but the boulder came loose and tumbled out of the way, bringing several more with it. The exit wasn't completely open, but it was much wider than it had formerly been with the Rock Slide remnants in their original places. Shortly, Astrid was flapping down on the other side with Arashi grasped in her feet, and they were trekking out into the exit's darkness. They could feel the floor under them, and the air was damp enough to tell them they were still in the dungeon, but seeing even a meter in front of them was difficult.

"So this place is called Lake Lucent because Luminous Pool is inside, and it's an evolution spot," Astrid noted, still glancing about at their surroundings, then with a heavy sigh, "Oh, I'm so glad that worked out… I never wanna see one of these Salem underlings again…"

Arashi chuckled, sounding a bit tired himself. "I'd rather not, too," he agreed, "But, I like this new form, at least! I can hop _and_ walk!"

Astrid nodded, smiling just a bit but with her eyes angled downwards. "Let's just hope the next mission we go on _isn't_ a trap."

Before long, they were back outside and making their way home.

* * *

However, as the two of them were making their way back…

**Deep Lake Lucent B5F**

"Gah! Was I seriously too late again?!" a metallic voice cried. "Oh, please be okay…!"

A certain Beast darted up the stairs as fast as it could go, a fainted Golbat and Octillery sparking on the ground behind it.

**Deep Lake Lucent B6F**

"C'mon, c'mon…!"

A lone, unresponsive Golisopod was the only other figure in the room, which the Beast paused upon seeing.

"N-no way…"

With sparking but light steps, it drew closer, studying Azure intently. He certainly looked terrible, as if he'd just taken a horrendous beating, which was probably true if the state of the room was any indication. The sharpened leaves, scratches, and dents in the rock certainly indicated a struggle had taken place, and the winners thereof were nowhere to be found. The trickles of blood scattered here and there didn't bode well, either. They were still mostly vibrant and fresh, able to be smeared around if someone or something brushed up against them.

"I didn't get the chance with Zariel before having to run again, but…"

_CRACKLE!_

What looked like bolts of lightning ripped straight out of a tempestuous sky formed in one copper-plated hand, which the Beast held out towards Azure. The whole room was bathed in a bright glow very fitting of the 'lucent' moniker, and the Discharge was almost blinding to look at it. Had anyone else been present and awake, they could've felt its sheer power without being close to it.

However, Azure apparently did too, for his eyelids fluttered open quickly.

"Ah-!" the Beast was startled, immediately withdrawing its hand and the bolts around it fizzling away to nothing.

Azure blinked, gaze drifting slightly up. "Comrade…?"

"Y-yes," was the quick answer, "A-are you alright?"

The Golisopod picked himself back up with a heavy groan, a bit shaky on his feet. "It seems so," Azure replied, then looking at his company, "Were you attempting to revitalize me with a shock? Rest assured, my heart has not stopped, though I am in poor health."

"A-ah, s-sorry!" the Beast stammered, sticking the arm that had formerly been holding the attack behind its back, "I was just a little worried!"

Azure chuckled, looking his company over. "Now, I know there are no Water-types on your world, but you are aware that such a jolt as the one you were preparing is likely to do more harm than good, yes…? Especially with the special attacking prowess of a Xurkitree. You might have inadvertently killed me."

If a creature made of cables with a glowing spiked ball for a head could blush, it probably would have. "S-sorry, and duly noted. My knowledge of this world… isn't the best."

Azure nodded. "Don't fret; there's no need to be shy about it. Might I ask you something?"

"S-sure."

"I heard from Zariel that apparently the human had been attacked by one of your species- of course, Zariel uses terminology I will not repeat- so I take it that is you? I was not aware of any Beasts having been sent to this world until she brought it up."

The Xurkitree perked up, making a few twitching motions with its arms. "O-oh, yeah! I tried to take her once, on the outskirts of Tranquil Town in the forest, but I didn't wanna kill her on accident, so I guess I let her run a little further than I was supposed to… But I didn't know the terrain, so she was already flying out over one of the cliffs when I zapped her! She ended up falling onto the beach, but by the time I could make it down myself, that Froakie she's been running around with was there, she was awake, and I didn't want to risk running out in plain view to cause a stir… Ugh, it's just _so difficult_ to get a good opening!"

Azure chuckled again, giving the Beast a friendly pat with one of his hind arms. "It is. I suppose I should tell you that her Froakie tagalong is now a Frogadier."

It gave another little twitch, touching its copper-plated fingers together. "R-really?!"

"Oh, yes. I tried to kill him first, but obviously, that did not go as planned. He ended up finding the evolution spot and catching me off guard while I thought he was dead."

"Well, I guess they're even in that regard… Same thing happened when Zariel tried to kill Astrid, or so it seemed…"

"Precisely," Azure acknowledged, "And I suppose you might know better than I… How are things on Ultra Space?"

The Xurkitree twitched again, and quickly stammered out, "O-oh, they're pretty good; we're still winning! Salem's abilities really come in handy; the resistors are still at a stalemate at best… They don't seem like they can win if things keep up like they are now. Safe to say Ultra Space is almost completely subdued."

The Golisopod nodded intently. "Good, good."

"Are Salem's experiments going well?"

The armored one clicked his front claws again. "Oh, quite well. She's almost killed a few on overestimation of what they can handle, but by and large, she can induce the desired effects with just a wave of her wand. A Clefable over by Crescent Ridge was quite a success recently, at least before she too was defeated."

"Ah, I'm not surprised; Salem's great at her part…" the Beast mused, "Did Astrid get away again? Y-you don't look so good…"

The armored one gave another sardonic laugh. "Oh, she did. She and her teammate are quite troublesome to nail down, and I am unfortunately not in any condition to go giving chase. I suppose if you see her, you know what to do, yes?"

The Xurkitree nodded. "Oh, of course! I was planning on going after her right now! I bet I know where she is!"

"Wonderful. I'll leave it to you for the time being."

"Y-yeah! She's not getting away again!"

At that, the Beast went running towards the exit, hopping over several of the bigger stones scattered about on the floor.

However, Azure turned around and called, "Hey! Xurkitree!"

It paused and turned to face him again. "Hm?"

"Apologies, I should've asked sooner. Do you have a name?"

It shook its head. "I don't. My identification is UB03-0067, or just Six-Seven for short."

"Very well. Take care out there, Six-Seven."

"W-will do!"

Before long, the wired creature was darting down the exit tunnel, its sparks quickly fading from view in the darkness.

* * *

"C-can we take a break now…?" Veeko inquired with drooping ears. "Those Spinarak scare me…"

"I won't go near another dungeon! Promise!" Rina cried haplessly.

Several fainted Budew and one fainted Spinarak probably would've been thankful for the little ones taking a break, but Lila didn't seem too convinced.

"Hah! Just let 'em be some useless posers like the rest of us!" Trixie jested, shoving a peeled chestnut into her mouth.

Charlie's tail-hand gave the Croagunk a shove, and Trixie only giggled with a smirk.

The meadow was as peaceful as ever… at least, to Lila, Charlie, and Trixie. The Croagunk and Aipom perched themselves on a fallen log, quite a few chestnut shells littering the ground around them (courtesy of Charlie, of course) while Lila and the little ones went about their business. Both Veeko and Rina looked tired and reluctant, the Pikipek occasionally eyeing the chestnuts in what appeared to be wistful longing to eat one. The Budews traipsing about, however, weren't too happy when receiving a sudden Tackle or Peck, but they didn't put up too much fight regardless, and the occasional Roselia couldn't really be bothered.

"That's not the point, Rina," Lila said gently but firmly to the Pikipek, "You didn't mean to get lost in Brushwood Tangle, but-"

"Hey! You guys!" came a familiar, ever-exuberant voice from overhead.

All five of them glanced up to see Astrid fluttering down into their vicinity with Arashi latching onto her back, the Dartrix clutching up the remnants of their bag. Trixie's eyes just about bulged out of her head when she saw that their Froakie friend was no longer a Froakie.

"Where is it?! Where is it?! Does it still work?!" the Croagunk shouted, running up.

"Arceus above," Lila remarked.

"Arashi, is that you?!" Charlie exclaimed.

The Frogadier giggled, turning loose of Astrid when they landed. "Yeah, it's me, and yes, it works!"

"Y-you don't wanna go there, though," Astrid noted.

Veeko and Rina just blinked, surprised expressions on their faces, but Charlie and Lila were shortly running up to join the other three as well.

"Eh?! Why?! Why don't I wanna go there?!" Trixie demanded, looking too excited to care about whatever reason they might give.

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other with awkward glances, and Trixie's gaze practically burned holes through them. Charlie, however, seemed to notice the odd splotches and broken strap on their bag before anything else and eyed it.

"Is that… blood?" the Aipom inquired, tilting his head sideways and motioning at the red stains. "What _happened_ to you guys? Are the wild ones there that bad?"

Astrid's feathers ruffled out, and Arashi gave an awkward giggle. Trixie's eyes narrowed, but she still smirked, and at the mention of blood, both Veeko and Rina got startled expressions.

"Okay, it's a bit of a wild ride," Arashi mused, smiling uncertainly, "You know how we said our client wanted things to be confidential, right? And they just wanted to talk?"

"I bet they were a useless poser with that stupid title," Trixie remarked.

Astrid shook her head. "Ohhhh no, n-not at all…"

Three sets of eyes studied them at the Dartrix's hesitance.

"… The 'Lord of the Lake' was actually Salem's underling, Azure the Golisopod," Arashi said haplessly, "And, he, uh… wanted revenge for Zariel."

Three sets of eyes went wide.

"Long story short, I got First Impression'd, it _sucked_ and I thought I was gonna die, he tried to convince Astrid to give up, I evolved, hit him with a Sleep Seed, and Astrid took care of most everything else battle-wise," the Frogadier recounted, "So, uh… yeah! Don't go to Lake Lucent, because you probably won't come back!"

Three sets of eyes blinked several times in utter silence.

"… The Drednaws are really annoying too," Astrid said quickly.

"Oh, yeah, those are pretty bad," Arashi quickly agreed.

Three sets of eyes were still studying them, but Lila broke the silence.

"… Okay, so Zariel had a buddy named Azure that lured you out to Lake Lucent, you got into a battle, and you're not dead," Lila said, "Is that right?"

"Y-yeah," Astrid affirmed.

"Sure is!" Arashi too replied.

Lila, Charlie, and Trixie all shared stunned glances.

"… Have you told anyone else about this yet? You swear you're not making it up?" Charlie inquired.

"No, we're not making it up, and we're probably gonna tell my mom and dad next, and then the sheriff," Arashi answered, "But, the thing about Mom and Dad is… Well, Mom won't let us leave the house for weeks if she finds out what happened, and Dad will watch our every move to make sure we don't wander outside! That's… kinda bad on its own, too!"

Their friends didn't seem so sure that was such a bad thing with the circumstances, and Rina and Veeko seemed even less certain. Astrid wasn't sure herself, but… Azure had given her the closest thing to the answers she wanted that she'd come across so far. Arashi certainly couldn't be kept away from an adventure- that much was painfully obvious already.

"Well, no evolving for me," Trixie said, deflating. "For what it's worth, that's pretty rad anyway!"

"It is, and I'm glad you guys are alright," Lila added, then calling over to her little brother and Rina, "We're done for today, you guys."

If nothing else, that eased up the little ones just a bit, but they still looked frightened at the mention of Salem and near-death.

"C'mon, you guys gotta go tell someone," Charlie urged. "You can't just leave that alone."

Astrid nodded, still a bit fluffed up nonetheless, and Arashi did too. The two of them exchanged glances.

"Let's go," said the Frogadier.

Astrid nodded.

"We'll keep you company," Lila mused nonchalantly, "Y'know, just in case Zariel comes swooping in too or something. Veeko, Rina, c'mon, we're going!"

Arashi gave her a nudge. "You don't have to make excuses to hang out, y'know!"

Both he and the Jolteon chuckled, and shortly, the entire lot of them were making their way back out of the meadow.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Regarding a certain facet of the fight scene, I would like to make a quick note of my thought process. Since Golisopod has yet to be seen in PMD as of my time of writing this, I tried to do my best in keeping with PMD logic as is reasonably possible. In the mainline games, the Emergency Exit ability forces a switch-out at half health (for what I presume is intended as another opportunity to use First Impression), thus I made Azure warp someplace else on the floor since he had no teammate to switch with, nor were there any wild ones present on the floor to be switched with either (as I would imagine a wild or simply 'enemy' Golisopod in a hypothetical PMD game would do). I also considered making it work like the moves U-Turn or Volt Switch, where you can still use the move but not switch if there is no one to switch with; however, I feel there is a bit of a difference in using those moves without switching vs. an ability activating due to low health, as an ability cannot exactly be turned off, so to speak. This is, of course, my own thinking, and should we see a PMD game with Gen 7 and Gen 8 'Mon in it sometime in the future, I am liable to be proved wrong here. (However, if we do see a PMD game in the future and this is how Emergency Exit works… AHAHAHAHA, I CALLED IT! :3)_


	22. Chapter 22: The Usurper, Salem

The Starstorm duo still lacked ideas for how to convey their happenings to Arashi's parents, but on heading back through town on the way to the sheriff's office, their attempts at thinking something up didn't amount to much when they saw Nez, Kaminari, and Niles all peacefully conversing on the edge of town. Quite fast they were pausing and taking notice that one of the younger ones had changed forms again.

"Oi, Arashi! Is that you?!" Nez called happily.

Niles and Kaminari both blinked in surprise, while Astrid and Arashi both exchanged quick glances, the Dartrix's feathers fluffing out just a bit.

Nonetheless, Arashi was quick in brushing it off and responding, "Yeah, it's me! I evolved!"

The Frogadier went running up, and the others weren't all that far behind.

"I like this form, too! It's a lot cooler!" Arashi chirped.

Nez chuckled and knelt down a bit, giving him a high-five that Arashi happily returned. Kaminari started grinning, and Niles seemed rather happy.

"My, I had almost forgotten what a Frogadier looked like," the Inteleon remarked, crouching down and giving Arashi's head a pat. "It suits you nicely."

Kaminari chuckled. "Oh, I was happy to reach that stage, too. You'll get a lot more use out of this one than the last, that's for sure."

Arashi giggled, his grin stretching across his face. Trixie too had her shifty grin, and Charlie gave her a nudge to keep her from making any snide remarks.

However, Niles was instantly more intent on the rips and splotches on the bag Arashi carried, eyes narrowing at it. Astrid's feathers fluffed out some more.

"Oh, my," the Inteleon remarked, carefully feeling of the severed red-stained strap with concern entering his countenance, "What happened? Did a wild one give you trouble?"

"Well, they obviously came out fine," Nez cheerfully remarked, "The two of ya are quite the team!"

The Starstorm duo, however, shot each other some uncertain and awkward looks, Astrid trying yet again to bury herself in her feathers to no avail. Lila and Charlie both gave them some very pointed looks, and the older ones easily picked up that something was amiss while Veeko and Rina shrunk back a bit.

"H-he wasn't wild," Astrid said quickly.

"Hm? Who?" Niles inquired, gentle but prodding.

"Azure the Golisopod," Arashi answered, "You know that letter we got, someone asking specifically for us?"

The Inteleon's eyes narrowed even more, and Kaminari and Nez picked up fairly quickly too.

"Did ya get ambushed?!" Nez exclaimed, looking surprised.

"… Yeah," the Frogadier answered, "He's one of Salem's, too."

At that, three different sets of eyes were yet again shooting wide

"_What?!_" Kaminari shouted, her fingers twitching a bit. "One of _Salem's_ laid a trap for you two?!"

"He sure did," was her son's answer, "Apparently he's buddies with Zariel and wanted revenge for her, too! It _sucked!_"

Three alarmed glances travelled around the older ones, Niles with calculating eyes and Kaminari looking stoically furious.

"Spill it, you two," Niles said, looking at both the Dartrix and Frogadier. "Don't leave out a single detail."

They did so, Arashi getting rather awkward on explaining how Azure had impaled him and Astrid getting very uncomfortable when describing what Azure had done and said afterwards. Nez's jaw dropped open in shock, Kaminari's fists clenched, and Niles' gaze turned icy.

"No _wonder_ that oversized pest and burn-happy ruffian are friends," the Inteleon remarked with disdain.

"This is the _second_ time that's happened," Kaminari noted, shaking her head. "And you two have lucked out on both occasions."

Astrid quickly looked at the ground, and Arashi laughed uncomfortably. It was true- the evolution spots had basically saved the both of them each time. It hadn't been strength or power keeping them going, _that_ was for sure.

Niles gave the Dartrix a pat. "You didn't tell us, and you don't have to, but yes, we know your evolution was likewise unpleasant."

She wasn't expecting such, but wasn't all that surprised either, and nodded without making a sound. A few out-of-the-loop glances came from their friends and the little ones, but they kept silent.

"You two aren't going further than the lake until this settles down some more," Kaminari declared. "It's too dangerous. You easily could've gotten killed if anything had gone differently, and now Salem has probably painted even bigger targets on your backs."

Almost instantly, Arashi got a dismayed look and opened his mouth to protest, but Niles hushed him just as fast.

"Your mother is right," the Inteleon quickly said, "The risk isn't worth it."

Astrid wasn't protesting it at all, but her comrade started looking downcast in any case, letting out a sad whimper. Nez knelt down and gave him an understanding pat, but the Frogadier still wasn't very happy about it.

"Oi, lad, it's for the greater good," the Nidoking said gently, "Nobody wants to see ye and Astrid in the headlines as another set of victims."

Arashi sighed, still not wanting to accept it but doing so nonetheless.

"Hey, now we can all be useless posers together," Trixie jested softly.

Astrid looked up and gave her a little smile. Arashi did so too, albeit much more downcast.

Nonetheless, whatever the circumstances, Team Starstorm's operations were put on hold. Arashi blatantly didn't like it, and Astrid had to admit that she too was a bit sad to stop so abruptly, but she also had to admit that the older ones were right. As much as she wanted answers, throwing themselves at death's door was far from the most desirable way to go about getting them. For the time being, it _wasn't_ worth it.

The sheriff's office was updating the wanted posters by the end of the day with the gathered details, and shortly both Azure and Zariel had their own posters beneath Salem.

Kaminari also mended their bag to at least look presentable, which, if nothing else, was somewhat of a relief. Even if the Starstorm duo wouldn't be going on any missions any time soon, Arashi still liked to carry it about, which Astrid couldn't help but be slightly amused at.

* * *

Astrid giggled slightly when the two of them went strolling up the stone steps to town the next morning, for he _still_ donned it.

"Is it really _that_ fancy…?" the Dartrix playfully inquired.

"It sure is!" Arashi replied without missing a beat. "We might not be going anywhere, but we can still look legit!"

That much was fair, she figured.

It didn't take long for them to find Lila, Charlie, and Trixie, for they weren't far from the top of the steps. Trixie looked excited over something while Lila was nonchalantly nodding and Charlie shrugging at whatever the topic was. The Croagunk came darting over the second Astrid and Arashi appeared on the last step.

"You guys! Someone answered me!" she cried happily.

"You don't know that yet," Charlie said to the contrary.

Trixie ignored him, and Lila only shook her head with a hapless smile.

"A-answered you…?" Astrid inquired in confusion, tilting her head to the side.

"The bottle!" Trixie answered, "Y'know, that one I sent off where I told them to hug a cactus, Charlie didn't wanna help me throw it, so I got Arashi to swim it out farther instead~?"

That sparked Astrid's recollection, and Arashi started grinning.

"Oh, yeah!" the Frogadier exclaimed, "Someone sent one back?"

"I haven't opened it yet, but it's there by the water!" was the answer, "We gotta go see it!"

"Lead the way!" Arashi concurred.

The Croagunk had no issue doing so, and shortly the five of them were following along behind her while she grinned and giggled mischievously to herself.

"I'm gonna laugh if it's your own bottle washing back up on the shore," Lila remarked, getting a shifty look from Trixie in return.

"Or if it's someone's drawing of a Croagunk getting pecked by angry Pidgeys," Charlie added.

Trixie ignored that remark, still grinning and giggling.

The water's edge outside of town was still nice with its calm waves and cool air, even if it _was_ as far as they could go, and Astrid figured that maybe… Maybe taking a break from expeditioning _wasn't_ so bad. Things until then had been rather fast-paced for the most part, mostly one 'adventure' after another, and maybe if they wound down for a change, it'd be better for everyone… The risks of getting impaled again were certainly much lower too. As much as she wanted answers, and as glad as she was for the little bits she got out of Azure, she didn't want to have another run-in with one of Salem's cronies anytime soon if there were more of them akin to the two they'd already met.

… Or the Beast. It hadn't directly shown its face (or lack thereof) in quite some time, and for that, she was glad.

Nonetheless, lodged in the mud near the lake's perimeter was indeed a bottle, the message of which they could easily tell was different than the one Trixie had sent due to the piece of paper inside looking much fancier with colorful fringed edges far more frilly than anything their friend would touch. The Croagunk sprinted over and picked it up, tearing the cork out and retrieving the paper as fast as she possibly could while the rest caught up with her.

"What's it say?!" Arashi happily exclaimed.

Trixie grinned as her eyes scanned it and turned it around for the others to see. The writing was _also_ a great deal prettier than their friend would bother with.

"To whomever told me to hug a cactus-

"I'm a Ghost-type, so I will gladly do as requested (and phase right through it). To you, I say, if I ever find out who you are, I'm going to lay a Curse on your entire family for the next eighteen generations, you brainless buffoon. Have a nice life while you still can."

Astrid and Charlie both seemed a bit uncertain about the veracity of the message but nonetheless weren't too fond of it, Lila wasn't fazed at all, Arashi grinned, and Trixie seemed as thrilled as thrilled could be.

"I like this Pokémon~" the Croagunk chirped, rolling it back up, "I wanna meet them~"

"You are terrible," Charlie remarked, rolling his eyes.

Even if she _was_ terrible, Trixie took it as a compliment and batted her eyes while giving a happy gasp.

"They have your same sense of humor," Arashi noted, smiling.

"W-who says they're joking?" Astrid shyly mused. "M-maybe-"

"Pardon me, you five; can I ask where I am?"

Another voice cut her off, one that wasn't familiar but at least sounded amiable. All five of them perked up and turned around to see the source of it- a Delphox peering down at them with bright and inquisitive eyes, hands clasped together. Behind her were dissipating what appeared to be glowing cracks in the air, a rather odd sight in any case.

… Astrid was instantly on guard, her feathers fluffing out and eyes going wide. Salem was someplace in the Fennekin line, and moreso, something about this visitor didn't set well.

"Outskirts of Tranquil Town," Lila answered before anyone else, studying their visitor, "Are you lost?"

The Delphox chuckled, unfurling her hands and wiggling her fingers a bit. "Oh, no, it appears I'm in the right place if that's so. I just wanted to be certain."

Charlie, however, couldn't help but ask, "You're not _Salem_, are you? I know we're not supposed to assume things, but…"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Trixie said to the contrary, not too bothered, "If this was Salem, we'd all be getting burnt to a crisp right about now! She's just asking for directions!"

"Well, it's gotta be hard being a Delphox or Braixen right now, but it's a valid question," Arashi mused.

The Delphox, however, laughed, looking amused and utterly unbothered at the inquiry. Her eyes fell on Astrid as she replied with a smirk, "Oh, you're absolutely right about me. I haven't set this place on fire because I don't want to torch Astrid yet."

Right as the words left, Lila, Charlie, and Trixie let out pained cries of distress and fell in a limp heap on the ground, their eyes closing and bodies not moving hardly at all. Astrid made a small squawk and Arashi let out a startled shout at the sudden happenings, immediately trying to rouse them back awake to no avail.

"You guys!" the Frogadier exclaimed, giving Charlie a shake, "What's wrong?!"

Astrid only fluffed up some more and stared in horror at their visitor, her eyes briefly darting between their fainted friends and back to the Delphox before them, who still stared straight at her.

Locking gazes with their visitor made something very apparent- there was something odd about this Delphox. Her coloration was standard fare for her species, not at all a Shiny variant, but even so, her eyes were entirely dyed an uncharacteristic purple. Not just the irises, but the whites as well carried a violet coloration as though she'd covered her entire eye with purple lenses… but no, they weren't lenses, that much was obvious too. They narrowed at the Dartrix.

"What did you do?!" Arashi hollered in dismay, "You can't be serious right now! You're Salem?!"

"Precisely," was the nonchalant answer, "Future Sight comes in handy for knocking out pests. Your friends aren't dead, but I make no guarantees they won't be.~"

Only a hesitant intonation left the Frogadier, who also started looking uncharacteristically frightened. Astrid barely dared to move a muscle, trying her hardest to sink into her feathers.

Their visitor laughed. "You gave Zariel hell, and then you trash Azure? And you make use of the evolution spots I'd told them to keep off-limits? I'll admit I underestimated you, but I think it's high time I have my turn now."

"What's this all about?!" Arashi unhappily demanded, "Why are you-!"

Salem reached behind her and retrieved her wooden wand from her tail, the tip immediately bursting into flame with an unnatural purple color at the middle of the fire. The smoke it gave off was purple too, and even without the fright of Salem, _the_ Salem herself, standing before them, something about it felt disorienting. Evidently, Arashi noticed it too, for he paused and blinked a few times. The Dartrix backed away some more, but Salem only laughed again.

"You sure do _love_ to ask questions, don't you?" Salem mocked, still staring straight at Astrid, "And you do, too.~ At least, when you're not cowering behind your partner here that does all the interacting for you. So if you wanna know how _I_ know your secret, and why it is that I'm so enamored with you, let _me_ ask _you_ something."

The Delphox edged closer and knelt down a bit, holding her burning wand almost directly in front of Astrid's face and wearing a snarling smile. The Dartrix tried to back away some more, but felt a hidden rock in the mud under one foot and flapped her wings to keep from tripping over. She wasn't taking her eyes off of this visitor for one second, even if she so badly wanted to glance for the town perimeter to see if somebody, _anybody_ was aware of their predicament. Arashi was likewise tense, his gaze shooting between Salem and Astrid as if not sure which one he should've been most concerned about- his friend receiving threats, or the one leveling threats _at_ them.

Salem chuckled maliciously, staring the Dartrix straight in the eyes. "… Do you think you're the only human here?"

Astrid whimpered and shook her head. "N-no, I kn-know there have been o-other incidents-" she stammered, voice hardly above a whisper.

"No, you moron," Salem cut her off, voice almost a growl, "I mean literally _right here_. In _this area. In our little circle_. _The three of us still conscious_."

The Dartrix blinked, unsure of the connotations, and Arashi likewise went blank.

"What're you saying…?" the Frogadier uncertainly inquired.

"That I understand this little brat better than anyone," Salem amusedly snarled, eyes still boring into a very uncomfortable Astrid. "We're in the same strange situation, Astrid. _I'm a human too_."

Astrid's eyes couldn't possibly have gone any wider, and Arashi was much the same.

"W-wh… w-what…?" Astrid stammered out, voice barely audible.

Arashi's mouth hung open. "_You're kidding!_"

"I'm not," Salem brushed him off. "I used to be an amnesiac little Fennekin too, being told to save the world. _What a joke_.~ There's nothing to _save_."

The only sounds escaping Astrid were little gasping sounds. Words had completely failed her; she couldn't find any to utter no matter how hard she may have tried to think of them. Salem's smirking countenance looked somewhat distorted by the swirls of heat bending the air around her wand, and her narrowed eyes were nothing short of sinister, making Astrid all the more uncomfortable with them locked on her. They practically glinted with mirth.

"And _then_ I find out, in the middle of trying to_ destroy_ that pathetic gleaming dragon that tried to guide me, that someone _else_ was sent because _I failed my purpose?!_" Salem laughed, her voice dripping with sardonicism, "_Get real!_ The only failures I see are the gods standing in my way, and _this_ little ball of fluff they summoned! You'd think I'd taught them a lesson, but clearly, they need a better reminder of who this entire damned universe _really_ belongs to, and it's not _them!_ It's _us!_"

Salem's grip on her wand tightened and she jabbed the burning flame into Astrid's chest, eliciting a squawk of pain. It burned straight through her feathers and singed her skin, making the Dartrix bat it away with one wing while frantically scurrying backwards to avoid another blow if one was coming. It hadn't been an attempt to seriously hurt her, _that_ was for sure, since the damage was minimal but discomforting nonetheless. Unless all the headlines were fake somehow or another, Salem had _far_ more power than that…

"Hey!" Arashi cried, darting to his comrade's side and looking exasperatedly at Salem, "Who is 'us?!' What's your deal?!"

Salem chuckled, taking her wand back. "That would be me, a certain Beast I'm _very_ close to, and the rest of my comrades. Ultra Space is practically ours already; we're not stopping now. And once we get _this one_… Let's just say, I'm gonna introduce you to someone that can do a _far_ better job at nixing your inhibitions than I can once she latches onto you for a few seconds. You're too shy and cautious to be useful now, but I know from Zariel and Azure that you're capable of doing some serious damage. We'll have our fun, don't you worry."

Astrid didn't like _any_ of that, not one bit. She whimpered again, her own eyes narrowing. "I-I'm not j-joining you," she asserted as best she could.

The Delphox shook her head, flicking her wrist holding the wand just a bit. "That's adorable. I'm not _asking_ you, sunshine; I'm giving you a heads-up. You think I gave any of my temporary subjects a choice? I know you've met a Rhyperior and a Clefable- ordinarily very nice Pokémon, but they didn't even know I was there before they wanted to wreck everyone in sight."

The both of them that Salem addressed were taken aback again, Astrid blinking in utter silence.

"So it _is_ you behind the crazy incidents!" Arashi exclaimed pointedly.

"Of _course_ it is," Salem brushed it off, smirking without a care, "_And the both of you are about to be the same!_"

Salem stood up while cackling madly, the flame on her wand blazing much bigger than seconds prior and practically engulfing her hand. _That_ didn't bode well, _not in the slightest_…

Yet, fast as lightning, a certain Greninja rushed up behind the Delphox with what looked like a blade formed of pure darkness in one hand, going straight for Salem's throat. Salem, however, whirled around and held up her wand, stopping Kaminari's Night Slash dead.

"Mom!" Arashi cried, looking relieved and a hint of grin creeping back into his countenance.

"Oh, Arceus above…" Astrid croaked, not thrilled at all.

Kaminari wasn't fazed; a Water Shuriken formed in her other hand which she also tried to slice Salem's neck with. It was close, but only severed a few strands of fur before the Delphox jumped back, a little trail of purple smoke following. A flurry of the same stars of sharp water followed as the Night Slash in turn dissipated, but Salem Protected herself in all directions with a purple shield of energy.

"Careful, now," the Delphox laughed, "I'm not someone you want to get close to!"

"You're a fool," Kaminari brushed her off, fixing her tongue-scarf a bit so as to avoid breathing in the remnants of purple smoke.

_BAM!_

The second Salem's Protect faded, a concentrated blast of water shot out from someplace farther off towards the cliffs, ramming straight into the side of her head and exploding.

"_Hng-!_" the Delphox cried, caught off guard.

Kaminari didn't waste time, a Water Shuriken forming in both of her hands which she threw at Salem, then another, then another, with blinding speed. Salem didn't bother dodging them, for there were far too many to dodge, but instead loosed a Shadow Ball at the Greninja which Kaminari darted out of the way of.

"You two, get out of here," Kaminari said quickly, glancing at the younger ones, "Get as far away from her as possible. We'll come for you later."

Salem giggled, regaining her composure and shaking some moisture from her fur. "Oh, that's cute.~"

_Crrrrrack! Rumble!_

The ground started shaking slightly, and looking up revealed the reason why- Nez slamming into the ground to cause an Earthquake. The fissures jutted straight for Salem, who still smirked but growled a bit.

At the same time, a certain Staraptor dove down from up above, but another energy barrier stopped both Nez's Earthquake and Ace's Brave Bird before they could do any damage.

"_What kind of 'Mon are ye?!_" Nez hollered, "Attackin' these two little ones! You oughtta be ashamed!"

"_This_ is something I never thought I'd see," Ace noted, retreating further back.

The Starstorm duo, however, heard the fluttering of more wings behind them and whirled around, but were relieved to find the source was a certain Vespiquen with a Swoobat beside her.

"Do as your mother says," Reina said calmly but firmly, taking up the fainted Lila and Charlie in her arms, "It is not safe for you here."

"I just started delivering letters for y'all's team, and I don't wanna stop because Salem did y'all in," Lucy added, the prongs of her tail gripping Trixie carefully.

Reina and Lucy both turned and left the scene with their fainted friends, while Astrid and Arashi gave each other frightened looks. Without saying a word, they glanced at the others apparently engaging Salem, then back at each other, and nodded. Astrid swooped up her comrade and flapped her wings as fast as she could, heading eastwards along the water and towards where Craggy Crossroads apparently was. She didn't look back; it would only be a distraction to slow her down. Arashi, however, couldn't help but do so.

"Oh, go on, _go on!_" Salem hollered wildly, eyes full of utter madness, "_YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!_"

With a sadistic snarl, she cast a Flamethrower from her wand, a bright blaze of red and purple. With a frightened cry, Arashi spit a Water Pulse in hopes of subduing it a bit, but a Snipe Shot from someplace off in the cliffs did far better at fizzling it out than he could. Astrid winced, feeling its heat even as she outpaced it and it dissipated.

"_Arashi, is this real?! I'm not just imaging things, am I?!_" the Dartrix cried haplessly.

"_I wish!_" Arashi exclaimed, glancing up at her.

A mad laugh from the Delphox rang out, along with the sound of another fiery blaze flaring into existence and another concentrated burst of water following. Neither one of them looked back to see what the happenings were.

"Go for the trees!" Arashi said, scanning over them. "If we land inside the tree cover, we can get lost in the dungeons! I don't know _exactly_ where they are, but it's a much better chance at losing Salem!"

"I'm on it!" Astrid affirmed, still wide-eyed. "I think your mom and dad have this covered _way_ better than we can do!"

Arashi started smiling again, albeit still with uncertainty. "Well, at least Salem was brazen enough to attack us out in the open and close to town!"

That much was true, Astrid couldn't deny.

The Delphox in question, however, looked as happy as could be, only giving the Starstorm duo a quick glance over her shoulder before Protecting herself from an Aerial Ace and Water Shuriken again. "Go on, _amuse_ me.~ I don't have the advantage, but I'm not worried. I'll scorch the lot of _you_, burn that damned forest _down_, and find those two runts when they start screaming! _Nothing I haven't done before, ahaha!_"

The ones facing her didn't doubt for a second that she meant every word she said, for she laid down a fiery blaze on the ground around her that easily scorched the damp ground underfoot. Purple smoke wafted in the air around her.

Ace let out a sigh, steadying himself for a moment after his attack getting blocked. "What's with that smoke?! I can't see straight when I get near her!"

"Don't breathe it in," Kaminari called back, another Night Slash forming in her hand, "I don't know _how_ she's doing that, but it's a problem."

"Is she tryin' to make _us _crazy, too?!" Nez proposed, setting off another Earthquake.

Salem only giggled, as flippant as could be. The cracks in the ground shot straight towards her, and Kaminari rushed her with another Night Slash, but the Delphox deftly danced out of the way of Nez's attack and threw off Kaminari's with another Flamethrower. The Greninja's blade of blackness quickly faded and was replaced with a larger Water Shuriken to shield herself with as best she could, while Salem had to Protect herself from another Snipe Shot. A cloud of steam erupted, and Kaminari jumped back to avoid the rest.

"I wasn't _trying_, but if it happens, it happens!" Salem shouted, smirking as wide as she could. "I can't _wait_ to see the look on those runts' faces when I get ahold of them!"

"You are _sick!_" Ace hollered.

Salem didn't care at all, for she only laughed while readying another purple-tinted inferno at whoever struck her fancy to attack next. If she'd taken damage, it wasn't showing.

Astrid, however, quickly descended back to the ground outside the trees, the quarreling figures looking comparatively tiny in the distance. Salem's blazes were easily spotted, and even from afar, the air around her was dyed a slight purple tint.

The two of them rushed in, giving one quick glance backwards.

"She's out of her mind," Astrid remarked, still not quite believing it, "She got sent here before me and turned into _that?!_ Urgh, this is such a mess…!"

"As far as humans go, I'm pretty sure I know which one I like better," Arashi said, shaking his head and quickly brushing aside a stray branch from a bush.

"What the hell did _she_ get sent here for?!" Astrid cried in frustration, skittering along as fast as her legs would go. "There had to be _some_ reason! I'm sure the gods or whoever wouldn't just set someone like _her_ loose for no reason!"

However, the two of them were quickly coming to a dead halt.

_Crackle!_

A lantern-like glow from a spiked ball illuminated their otherwise dimmed surroundings, the vaguely humanoid shape attached to it made of black wires tied together in strategic places slinking into view. Sparks shot up and down its form, easily filling the air with jolts of its electrical energy.

It had been awhile, but Astrid recognized the Beast easily. Her heart sank in her chest, and her beak dropped open with no words. Some very choice, _colorful_ words ran through her head, however, but even if she _wanted_ to vocalize them, none came out.

Arashi instantly put together her description with the creature standing in front of them, and the bolts running along its body made him stop dead too.

"Is… _that_…?" the Frogadier breathed uncertainly.

"Whatever questions you have, I can answer them," came the oddly metallic voice. "But, for the time being, you'll have to forgive me."

They didn't have to time to make sense of what that might mean, for the next second, the creature before them was holding what looked like a nest of lightning bolts in its hands. It Discharged them straight at the Starstorm duo, and there was no avoiding them.

Still utterly silent, Astrid and Arashi looked at each other and quickly clutched each other's forms as if, somehow, that might mitigate the attack. There was hardly time to even be pained by the shower of sparks before their vision was going black and senses failing.


	23. Chapter 23: The Renegade

"I think I'll burn Astrid to a crisp until she's gasping for air and begging me to stop, then let her recover and do it again!" Salem laughed gleefully, setting the ground around her ablaze. "And I'm gonna carve her little friend's heart out and crush it while _both_ of them are watching! _That_'ll show 'er who's boss~!"

Her words certainly stirred the wrath of those present, but they didn't bother dignifying it with a response.

If the ground had been muddy or marshy, it wasn't anymore. Salem scorched the earth she tread on and filled the air with her odd purple smoke, all while grinning and laughing. If anyone whose presence exuded a maniacal feeling had ever graced the Tranquil Town outskirts, it was definitely the violet-flamed wild-eyed Delphox.

"I've never seen anyone as crazy as this lassie," Nez remarked, unamused and setting off another Earthquake.

"I think that's the whole point," Kaminari mused flatly.

_BAM!_

Another burst of water exploded against an energy shield, Niles' Snipe Shot rendered useless against Salem's Protect, and Nez's Earthquake stopping just at its edge before it could hit its target. Kaminari took the moment and concentrated for a second while Ace swooped in with another Brave Bird that the Delphox couldn't avoid in time. Nonetheless, though Salem may have taken the hit, she didn't seem all that concerned by it and jabbed her flaming wand for the Staraptor, burning straight through his feathers and singeing his skin. The recoil damage was the brunt of what Ace felt, but it nonetheless elicited a pained squawk.

"Oi, Ace! Are ye alright?!" Nez called to the Staraptor.

"I'm fine!" was Ace's shaky response.

Kaminari, however, was enveloped in a slight glow, multiple copies of her form spreading out from behind her before it faded. Salem quickly noticed the myriad of Double Team effects, but still smirked as her eyes narrowed.

"Nez, are you feeling that too?" Ace inquired of the Nidoking, studying the purplish tint that seemed to be surrounding their assailant.

"Truth be told, I don't find it that bad," Nez replied, eyeing the Delphox. "She must be- GWAH-!"

The Staraptor squawked again when Nez got a briefly pained expression with an equally pained shout following before the Nidoking fell limp.

Salem laughed, slinging another Flamethrower that Ace quickly took to the air to avoid. "You all think he's the nicest creature ever, but _he annoys me_.~ Oh, I just _love_ Poison-types.~"

Her Future Sight had clearly done him in, and he wasn't moving. A patch of the ground was scorched black, but thankfully she hadn't scorched her original target while another Snipe Shot came blasting down from the cliffs. The Delphox very narrowly sidestepped it, and was splashed by the remnants of it that splattered about.

"Don't you worry, sniper; I'm not gonna leave you out," Salem snickered mostly to herself.

Kaminari and all of her visages held blades of darkness in their hands, and all rushed in at the Delphox. Still with a wild look, Salem readied another Flamethrower and waved her wand to spread it, most of them being scorched out of existence save for a few that jumped back and one- the _real _one- that jabbed for her throat again. A few snippets of Salem's fur were sliced off and a bit of blood trickled out from broken skin as the Delphox swayed aside to make it miss, but the wild-eyed one instead loosed another fiery blaze on the Greninja.

"Kyah-!" Kaminari gasped, quickly ditching the Night Slash for a Water Shuriken as she retreated.

The Delphox laughed, nonchalantly twirling her wand whilst Protecting herself from an Aerial Ace. "I thought so," she chuckled, giving Kaminari a glance, "You can change your type with your ability, which means I can still have an easy time burning you if I strike right.~"

A larger Water Shuriken shield turned to mostly steam, and when both attacks dissipated, it was easy to see that Kaminari's slashing arm had a nasty burn reaching halfway to her shoulder. A long patch of her ordinarily blue skin was charred black and deep red, and the webbing between two of her fingers was partially turned to ashes. The Greninja's eyes narrowed and twitched in what looked like pain, but she wasn't voicing it if it was.

"D-_dammit_…" Kaminari hissed.

Salem giggled, probably thinking it was a beautiful sight.

Ace dove down at the Delphox for another Brave Bird, but another burst of purple-tinted flames made him stop and redirect upwards to keep from getting charred himself. His flight was shaky, several of his tail feathers and the tip of one wing burnt, but thankfully that was as far as the damage went.

The more Salem waved her wand and spread her flames, the more she seemed to be shrouded in a purple mist that just wouldn't dissipate. Kaminari still used her tongue-scarf for cover, but she too started to have slightly shaking movements when forming more Water Shurikens in her hands, much more so with the burned one. More of the watery stars hit with Salem trying to simultaneously dodge the remaining visages, but she scorched them out of existence too.

However, a certain Flareon came darting in from the town's perimeter with a bag on his shoulders that apparently wanted to fly open as he sprinted. He made a beeline for Kaminari first and paused next to her while she threw another flurry of watery stars.

"I've got Oran berries," Blaze said quickly, slipping his bag off. "Cobalt and Toko are tending to the kiddos, and Reina's overseeing. I'm not sure if my attacks will scratch Salem, but her fire won't burn me at least."

Kaminari nodded, quickly snatching up a berry. "This is probably the best situation we can have for now. Jax is up in the cliffs with Niles in case one of Salem's underlings try to get in the way of a Snipe Shot, and Astrid took Arashi and flew off for the forest. Salem's not getting her intended targets, at least."

Blaze nodded in turn too. "Good."

Salem caught one Water Shuriken before its points could slice into her neck, and it turned to steam shortly in her grasp, still grinning. Another Protect went up, and another Snipe Shot crashed into the energy shield with a forceful burst. Blaze grabbed up the bag with his teeth and darted for Ace next, the Staraptor likewise welcoming his assistance.

In the cliffs, however, a certain Inteleon watched carefully for a nice opening through both the black membranes covering his eyes and a Scope Lens he held in front of one, peeking up over a rock just enough to pick out Salem on the outskirts below. A Toxicroak watched the happenings too, cracking his knuckles even without actually having the opportunity to use them.

"You ain't seen anything like this before, have ya?" Jax inquired, bouncing up and down and pacing a bit. "I thought they were exaggerating the claims, but nope!"

"Never," Niles answered, gaze shifting around ever-so-slightly as Salem tried to avoid hits herself, "I've cracked plenty of cases wide open in my time, but this Delphox… She's another matter entirely."

"Damn, and you're the sharpest one in our lot," Jax remarked upon hearing it.

Apparently Niles found an opening and took it, for quickly he stretched one arm over the rock with one finger outstretched and his thumb pointing upwards, still eyeing Salem through the lens as a concentrated watery blast fired from his fingertip. It hit, but Salem only looked annoyed.

Nonetheless, from his lens, Niles could see Salem stare up in their direction and loose a Shadow Ball.

"_Get down!_" the Inteleon cried quickly, grabbing Jax and yanking him out of view behind the rock.

"Wha-!" the Toxicroak cried.

The ball of darkness crashed into a rock face behind them before dissipating in a blackened cloud of smoke and fading.

"Damn," Jax muttered, glancing up at where it hit.

"Oh, try it again, you bloody wretch," Niles growled, peeking over the rock again. "Am I bothering you? Because _your_ antics bother _me_."

The Toxicroak snickered haplessly, musing, "I'd love to Sucker Punch her too, but I think she'd make quick work of me."

"She likely would, with your type and ability," Niles responded coolly, "But you give me peace of mind where you are now. The gods only know what else she's planning…"

"I'd _love_ to see this crazy bitch get her ass handed to her by a legendary, but we can't always get what we want," the Toxicroak remarked in agreement, watching the attacks below being thrown about.

On the scorched ground, however, Blaze tried to rush Salem in a Double-Edge, but her Shadow Ball cut his attempt short. Her flames weren't bothering the Flareon, but the purple smoke still made him feel dissociated from his body, and Kaminari's movements too were becoming less precise. If Aerial Ace hadn't been in Ace's arsenal, he wouldn't have gotten any hits in.

Shortly, however, the Staraptor was letting out a cry and falling limp, downed by a Future Sight too. His crest was partially burnt off, and a patch of skin on his belly was visibly charred.

"I like you all, I really do," Salem laughed. "You're entertaining, but you're not my targets.~"

The Oran berries hadn't been much help, after all. The disorientation caused by the smoke was wearing on them, and making it easier and easier for Salem to hit. The Delphox certainly reveled in that fact.

A Shadow Ball crashed into a Water Shuriken shield, which Kaminari promptly threw at their assailant while Blaze sent a Swift after her. Nonetheless, another Protect went up, and Salem went unscathed. The Flareon rushed her again, and Kaminari charged her in another Night Slash, but the Delphox leaped out of the way of both of them and launched a ball of blackness at Blaze. It made quick work of the Flareon, and Blaze was shortly limp on the ground.

Salem chuckled, holding her wand in front of her and looking to Kaminari next. "I hope you got a good look at your kid, because the next time you see him, I can't guarantee you'll recognize him.~"

_BAM!_

A Snipe Shot rammed straight into the back of Salem's head, causing her snarling grin to drop for just a second. The Greninja didn't waste time even in her disorientation, throwing a watery star at the Delphox just as the wild-eyed one regained her composure. It hit _just_ below Salem's neck.

The Delphox, however, went back to grinning, a low chuckle escaping her mouth as another Flamethrower blazed at the tip of her wand.

"… Fuck," Kaminari said flatly, vision blurring.

Another burst of purple fire put Kaminari out too. Salem shook her head, smirking, then turned to look at the cliffs.

Niles immediately turned dismayed up in them and gasped in horror at every figure down below save for Salem's being motionless on the ground.

"What's wrong?!" Jax cried, noticing his unease immediately.

"They're down!" the Inteleon said quickly. "All of them!"

"Even Kaminari?!"

"_Yes!_"

"You've gotta be- GAH!"

The Toxicroak cried out in pain before going limp himself. Niles' heart sank in his chest, but just as quick, he was ducking down to avoid another Shadow Ball that smashed into the cliffs just above him.

Salem giggled on the ground below, giving her surroundings a brief look- a Nidoking, Staraptor, Flareon, and Greninja all sprawled out and motionless, the otherwise damp ground dried and scorched in numerous places while her purple smoke wafted about freely. It was… beautiful.

At least to Salem.

But what would be more beautiful was the look on Astrid and Arashi's faces when she got ahold of them, and for that, she went sprinting off towards the forest while cackling without a care, her still-burning wand leaving a tiny trail of wispy purple smoke.

* * *

If things would ever _stop_ feeling not quite right, Astrid didn't know when that would be.

The air was buzzing, and her feathers were standing on end. Her eyes fluttered open in a daze, which simple as it was, felt like a laborious process. That thing… That _thing_ had attacked them after Salem, and they'd been done in by a single move.

Astrid quickly whimpered in discomfort and glanced about, where she found herself surrounded in a conical formation by the same cable-like appendages that had been sparking before. Arashi was next to her, still unresponsive with closed eyes. Their surroundings were dark, but illuminated in a white glow, and a bit of studying revealed what looked like a cave wall- dull grey and brown rocks, a grainy surface, and craggy edges. The ground beneath her feet was hard but not solid dirt, and her claws punched through the surface when she stood up. She glanced around, and indeed, it _did_ look like a cave, albeit a rather small one. A jagged opening met her when she glanced to the right, but it was almost entirely covered by a detached slab of rock almost like a jagged, uneven door.

Another whimper came when the sparking black wires around her moved. Two of them stayed on the ground, but two copper-plated hands detached along with a three-pronged tail. The creature gave them some space, the sparks dying down a bit. It was fairly easy to tell where the cavern's illumination was coming from, given the brightness coming from the Beast's head and joints.

"You're awake," said the metallic voice of the Beast.

Astrid said nothing, only staring at the familiar but frightening figure with huge eyes. She was awake, alright- being around such sparking energy likely would've kept _anyone_ awake if they hadn't been outright unconscious. Very carefully, but still keeping her eyes locked on their company, she nudged Arashi with one wing.

"A-Arashi," she croaked, "W-wake up…"

Only the faintest of sounds came from the Frogadier.

"I know he's weak to Electric-type moves, so he got hit harder," the creature noted, "Sorry about that last attack; I needed the both of you not to fight back for a while,"

Astrid was still as apprehensive as could be, and nudged her comrade some more. "Arashi! W-wake up, Arashi…! It's the beast…!"

His eyes fluttered open too, and they were shortly going wide. Arashi was definitely weaker in getting up than the Dartrix had been, and Astrid steadied him with one wing.

"Arceus above, you weren't kidding," the Frogadier croaked, looking their company over. "Who and _what_ are you?!"

"My identification is UB03-0067, or Six-Seven for short. I'm an Ultra Beast of the Xurkitree species."

They had no clue what any of that referred to, but it sounded _off_ to say the least.

"I've been trying to talk to you for a while now, but there weren't any good openings," it continued, "I'm not supposed to be here. I didn't want to cause problems."

As scared as she was, Astrid growled with narrowing eyes. "Trying to _talk_ to me?! Don't play that game with me! You're gonna hand me over to Salem, if you haven't already! Where the hell _are_ we, and where is _she?!_"

"I couldn't tell you Salem's exact location, but you're in the cliffsides opposite Overgrown Crevice and towards Craggy Crossroads- at least, I _think_ that's what you call it," the Beast answered, "And you don't need to worry about Salem; I'm not handing you over to her. That's why I'm here- to make sure she _doesn't_ get ahold of you."

As great as that may have sounded, Astrid wasn't buying it for a single second. "Oh, sure!" she wrathfully hissed back, "Just like Zariel was _watching out_ for Cobalt, and Azure _just wanted to talk_ with us! You're _one of them!_ Just be honest already!"

However, at that moment, another voice added to the mix, one that wasn't… corporeal.

_*Astrid, can you hear me?*_

Immediately, she froze. Arashi perked up, looking around with alarm.

"Who's that?!" the Frogadier cried, gaze darting about.

'Six-Seven' didn't seem bothered by it at all, and Astrid wasn't necessarily bothered either, but…

"You recognize that, don't you?" the Beast inquired.

It definitely _was_ familiar, the Dartrix had to admit. She couldn't quite place where the recollection was from, but it jogged her memory somehow.

_*We've spoken before. You've been asleep and thought it a dream the past two times, which it was in some regards. The first time, you were still a human, and immediately afterwards was when you became a Rowlet and met my emissary, Six-Seven, who currently stands before you. I am still under significant stress, but not enough for contacting you to be so difficult. Salem is alive and well, but tired enough to not be leading a charge against me after her failure to obtain you.*_

Instantly, it clicked into place. It was the same voice as she'd heard in the blinding visions, just without the static and distortion. Her memories had been fuzzy before, when she'd _first_ awoke… but it was true. The recollection came flooding back to her- the odd sensations, the seemingly random questions, being dubbed a 'timid green' and being told to take charge of her fate.

Arashi got an awkward look. "Am… Am I supposed to be hearing this? You're talking to Astrid, but I can hear you, too…"

_*You are,*_ the incorporeal voice answered. _*One way or another, you're her partner now. Therefore, this also affects you, and if you intend to embark with her, you should be notified.*_

Still not completely sure, Arashi looked to Astrid next. "They're not lying, are they?"

She shook her head. "N-no, it's true," she replied, returning his gaze for a moment then looking back to the Xurkitree. "H-hold on, y-you…"

_*Rest easy, Six-Seven means you no harm.*_

'Rest easy,' she wasn't so sure about, but she was certainly more willing to listen to whatever they had to say. "Wh-who are you…?" she inquired of the unseen one.

_*I am Necrozma, the Blinding One, the overseer of Ultra Space. You might think of me as being akin to the Pokémon you know as Arceus.*_

Astrid blinked, a bit caught off guard by such a description, while Arashi immediately got a far more intently intrigued look. He and Astrid shared another glance, the Dartrix still looking a bit hesitant but the Frogadier with a grin spreading across his face.

_*It was I that sent you here. I apologize for this meeting being so late in the making; I would have much rather spoken to you sooner, but things took an odd turn.*_

The Dartrix nodded, taking it in. "O-okay, so… You're Necrozma, and you sent me to this world. I turned into a Rowlet after you talked to me the first time, and this thing- er, Ultra Beast…?- is your emissary Six-Seven, who I met in the forest."

_*That is correct.*_

She nodded again. That was _definitely_ a start in the right direction, but still, she scrutinized the wired figure in front of her. "H-how can I be sure? L-look, I'm no expert here, a-and I'm still not sure what to make of… a-anything, r-really… But that was a pretty vicious attack on Nez, Lurantis in Brushwood Tangle was afraid of you, a-and…"

If a figure made of wires with no facial features could look flustered, Six-Seven was doing it. "E-er, I can explain all that…"

_*You should. She's still _very_ wary of you.*_

Astrid wasn't going to deny such.

"O-okay, well…" Six-Seven stammered uncertainly, "I should start from the very beginning, then. You two know Salem is a human too, but… She's a symptom, not the problem. Necrozma originally summoned her to save Ultra Space, since there wasn't a Beast left-"

"H-hold on," Astrid interjected, "I need more of a foundation. I d-don't know what half the terms are th-that you're using. I j-just thought you were some weird being, but you're an Ultra Beast from Ultra Space…? And Necrozma is the overseer of Ultra Space…? S-sorry, I've never heard of any of this, and I'm pretty confused as it is…"

Six-Seven nodded. "Right, sorry about that. So on this world, it's filled with creatures called Pokémon, right? There's a lot of different kinds, some special ones you call 'legendaries,' and some of those legendaries like Arceus, Zygarde, and Rayquaza basically keep everything in working order, right?"

"That's right!" Arashi affirmed while Astrid merely nodded.

"Okay, so _my_ world is in Ultra Space, which is an extradimensional location that the inhabitants of _your _world would probably never see," Six-Seven explained, "And in Ultra Space, we have creatures called Ultra Beasts that mostly inhabit it, somewhat akin to you Pokémon. Generally speaking, though, Beasts tend to be, well… _way_ stronger. I've figured out that you use the generic term 'beast' here, but where I'm from, it's the shortened form of our classification. There's a lot fewer species of Beasts than there are Pokémon, and our equivalent of legendaries are the Light Trio consisting of Necrozma, Solgaleo, and Lunala."

That made more sense, and neither one of them was doubting Six-Seven's assertion of the average Beast's strength. Six-Seven alone had already left quite the impression.

"So you're not from this world, is what you're saying," Arashi noted. "And you aren't either, Necrozma?"

"Yes," Six-Seven affirmed with a nod.

_*That is correct.*_

"O-okay, I think I get it now…" Astrid mused, still a bit fluffed up. "G-go on."

"Right," Six-Seven replied, "So in order to understand Salem, you need a bit of context for what's going on in Ultra Space. Put shortly, it's been turned into a bloodbath, and Salem is _partly_ the cause of that. In the past, it was at least _peaceful_… but not anymore. Let me ask- does the name 'Void' mean anything to you?"

The Starstorm duo looked at each other, then back at Six-Seven and shook their heads.

"Of course. I didn't think Salem would let that slip so easily," the Xurkitree remarked, then seeming to start shivering, "Well, you see… Void is Salem's partner if you ask Salem, her 'boss' put nicely, but realistically, a controlling tyrant under the guise of a kind, innocent overseer."

They were taken aback by that proposition, Arashi getting surprised eyes and Astrid blinking without saying a word. The copper fingers started touching together again and Six-Seven's head angled down at the ground, which Astrid couldn't help but interpret as a frightened look.

"Wait, Salem has a _boss?!_" Arashi exclaimed, studying the Beast, "I thought Salem _was_ the boss!"

"It definitely appears that way to an outsider," Six-Seven acknowledged, still shrinking up a bit, "But you two have been close to Salem, so tell me… Did you notice anything off about her? Her eyes, the way she casts purple fire…?"

They both nodded, Astrid much more intently so.

"W-what _is_ that?" the Dartrix inquired, "That's not normal Delphox fare…"

"It's not, and it's poison," Six-Seven answered, "Specifically a neurotoxin."

And again, they were taken aback, eyeing their company with odd looks.

"But Delphox isn't a Poison-type," Arashi noted, "Is she using Toxic?"

"No, but I'll get to the specifics of how she does it," was the Xurkitree's response, "It's because of Void. You see, Void is part of the Nihilego species, Nihilego being a Rock- and Poison-type. They're parasitic by nature and latch onto whatever host they please, then start secreting a powerful neurotoxin that makes the host become fixated on them and lose whatever inhibitions that may have been stopping the host from violently lashing out. They'll go for whatever they can get their tentacles on, but the thing is… If the host is a human, they can physically merge their bodies and become even more powerful, even boost the power of those around them, but the Nihilego is the only one with any battling capability since humans are weak on their own. If the host is another Beast, or even a Pokémon if one is around, they can't merge, but the host can fight, and they fight _viciously_. See where this is going?"

Astrid was _starting_ to get an idea, and it… wasn't pretty. Arashi still studied the Beast, looking intrigued but uncertain.

Salem was a human in a Pokémon's body, just like Astrid, casting odd purple smoke that was apparently poisonous because of this 'Void' entity… There had to be some significant relation outside of just Void being her boss.

"Is Salem Void's host…?" Astrid's voice trailed off.

"Exactly," Six-Seven affirmed, "Salem is both human and Pokémon, just like you. In other words, all of the benefits with _none_ of the drawbacks. When Void gets serious, she calls for Salem, and they become two entities in one- their power goes through the roof, Void enhances their abilities together, and Salem's attacks turn into pure destruction. They've been merging for so long that Salem has picked up some of Void's characteristics even outside of merging, and that's why Salem has such odd abilities and those purple eyes. Void's poison runs through her veins at this point, and she burns it in her fire to spread it."

It started to click into place. The neurotoxin had been the cause of _several _sets of odd behavior. Salem had called the crazy ones her 'temporary subjects,' and while they had no basis for the Clefable they'd fought, the Rhyperior definitely seemed to be far more docile than when he was trying to outright murder them. Team Aeroslash in the headlines reported a disorienting feeling when engaging her, which had been felt even in the small wisps of smoke from her wand, after which they began swinging at their healers. Zariel had cited humans-turned-Pokemon as being quite valuable, Azure cited their 'tactical advantage,' and if the Charizard and Golisopod were Salem's underlings, it didn't take much thinking to figure out where that assertion was coming from. It stacked up far too conveniently to be a lie.

"Which brings us to the current conundrum," Six-Seven continued, "Ordinarily, you could brush a Nihilego's parasitism off as just being what Nihilego do. _Void_, however, took it to an entirely new level and started poisoning anyone she could touch, turning her hosts into little more than extremely violent slaves to her bidding. It was just a few Beasts at first, then a few dozen, then more and more… all while anyone who got in her way was crushed by her underlings, either killed or poisoned too. It wasn't visible just how much of a problem she was causing at first, since like I said, ordinary Nihilegos going about their parasitic business isn't rare, but it just kept increasing and increasing. And if you _asked_ the poisoned ones what was going on, every single one of them would say they did it for Void, that Void gave them a better purpose in life, and they never wanted to leave her. That's how the Light Trio figured out who was behind the incident, but by then, Void had already laid out her plans. She intended, and _still_ intends, to overtake Ultra Space, poison the Light Trio to do her bidding too, and mold the entire dimension to her own wishes. Once she's done on Ultra Space, this world is the next one, and she doesn't plan on stopping at this one, either. She wants to create an entire multiverse with her as a supreme deity over every living creature, be it Beast, Pokémon, or human."

A jolt of fright went through both Astrid and Arashi's bodies, the Dartrix fluffing up again and the Frogadier getting wide eyes.

"W-wait a second," Arashi quickly cut in, "Surely someone has tried to _stop_ her, right? She can't just _take over_, can she?"

"B-besides, how'd she get ahold of Salem, if Salem is her host…?" Astrid inquired, "That didn't just happen for no reason, I'm guessing…"

_*The both of you are correct,*_ came Necrozma's voice again, _*Some occupants of Ultra Space have tried to stop her, and all have failed. I and my two comrades have tried, and are _still_ trying, but are presently unsuccessful.*_

At that, the both of them were seeing an odd vision, the likes of which Astrid recognized from her dreams. An absolutely blinding visage made up most of it, draconic in shape and seemingly made of pure light between pieces of a prismatic frame, surrounded by another glowing spherical barrier that enveloped it. In front of it was another form standing like a guard, the likeness of which could only bring to mind that of the blazing sun- largely feline with an impressive mane and glowing in a bright white, baring fangs and clawing at the ground in an aggressive stance. The both of them were at the bottom of what looked like a _very_ large crater, the ground littered in rubble of what looked like glass and black metallic shards. The surroundings weren't much better off, for what looked like the blown-out ruins of what used to be a place of civilization was all that was visible, around and among which stood a swarm of strange creatures all peering inwards at the lone sources of light, the vast majority either launching attacks or preparing to. Some of them looked like Six-Seven, some looked like dragons, and some were just… downright bizarre. It certainly didn't look like friendly terrain, _that_ was for sure.

_*That one with the large mane is Solgaleo, and the dragon of light is myself and Lunala in my fused Ultra form. As you can see, I'm… at an impasse with Void's forces. I cannot remember the last time I was backed into a corner like this, but almost all of mine and Lunala's combined energy is going towards shielding ourselves from the attacks while Solgaleo attempts to guard as best he can, so Void cannot reach us. However, while Void cannot reach _us_, we cannot reach Void. Sparing energy to reach you alone is quite a feat, and more often than not, I cannot let my guard down for even a second to do so. This standoff is… _extremely_ taxing, to say the least.*_

Astrid and Arashi believed it. The vision faded away.

_*I contacted Salem shortly after reaching this impasse, as I had exhausted every other option,*_ Necrozma explained, _*There are no sentient life forms left in Ultra Space that are not either being controlled by Void or frantically hiding from her, thus I could use no one from my own jurisdiction. Salem was a human from a differing world, very headstrong and independent, but without much direction in her life. I thought that surely, turning someone like her into a Pokémon, erasing her memories, and giving her a clear purpose would be a surefire way to victory, and indeed, it looked promising… until she actually met with Void, and was poisoned herself. The Salem you now see is a disturbing caricature of the Salem I previously guided.*_

Yet again, they were seeing something that was not immediately in front of them, memories that did not belong to them.

* * *

"_Auuugh! _Void,_ I'm sorry…!_"

A creature, very delicate and slender with a mostly white body, fell limply on the cold, hard ground with most of its form singed. Its eyes fell closed though it appeared to resist such, but conscious or not, it appeared to be in a great deal of pain. On one of its stick-thin arms splayed out to the side was what looked like a tattoo reading 'UB02B-0001.'

The surroundings were almost entirely black and dim, illuminated faintly by the cool glow of bluish-green crystalline shards implanted in towering rocky fixtures appearing almost akin to aquatic plants. The terrain underfoot had a glassy texture, making it resemble a waterlogged sea floor even without any actual moisture, and some areas appeared to be partially melted. It wasn't an underwater cave, but even so, the air felt _much_ thicker as if those present were submerged anyway, and despite their rocky looks, the walls and fixtures had an oddly organic feel to them. It was as if the cave itself was a living organism with its own heartbeat, but even _if_ it was, it did not move. It simply made a certain intruder feel… unwelcome.

A fiery orange glow drowned out most of the cool shades of the crystals, the source easily traced to a burning wand in a Delphox's hand. Salem breathed heavily, a bit of the fur on one cheek bearing red trickles from broken skin underneath, and a few more tiny pools of blood added splashes of red to the dark ground. Nonetheless, she still managed to wear a snarling smirk, eyes locked on the target before her.

"It okay; Void not mad," said a gentle, sweetly feminine voice with the faintest hint of a metallic edge. "You try hard, but this one strong."

The voice belonged to a mostly unassuming figure with a gelatinous but glassy body of a vaguely bipedal shape, although she floated instead of walked. Her tentacles drifted down from a translucent bell with a blue-edged frill, most of them varying in length but still fused together to form the appearance of long hair, while two longer ones gave the appearance of legs and two shorter ones acted like arms. The glassy appearance of her body gave off a feel of frailty, as if she would shatter to bits if nudged with even the slightest force. If she was attempting to imitate a human, specifically a young human female, then she too was doing a terrible job and only came off as a strange imitation.

"You're that sicko Void, aren't you?" Salem asked with a snarl, studying the floating glassy one.

The one in question drifted down to the fainted white Beast, one of her tentacle arms giving it a gentle pat as she replied, "Yes, Void is Void, but Void not sick."

Salem snickered, casting a Shadow Ball at the Nihilego, but Void didn't seem all that bothered and instead took on a bright orange glow before launching a Power Gem at the Delphox. Salem Protected herself, but even the energy shield seemed to falter under the Beast's power.

_*Salem! Can you-!... Go for…*_

"Sorry, Necrozma, I can't really hear you and I'm _a little busy…!_" the Delphox shouted at the air, her shield and Void's attack dissipating.

Salem concentrated for a moment, setting a Future Sight into motion while Void seemed to give herself a hug with her tentacle arms.

"Void know who you are," the Nihilego nonchalantly noted, swaying like a flower in the breeze, "Void's underlings tell Void about you. You sent by Necrozma to stop Void."

"That's damn right!" Salem shouted back with no trouble, flinging a blazing Flamethrower. "You're a sick, twisted tyrant!"

The Nihilego didn't even bother dodging the blaze but rather sailed head-on through it and closer to Salem, practically staring Salem in the eyes, or at least _would_ have been if the Nihilego had possessed any herself. Salem snarled with a smirk again, her scattered fire making some of the glassy floor deform and melt. Void, though, went practically unscathed, but when the Future Sight landed, a pitiful whimper followed.

"Mmmmm…!" Void cried like a sad child, hugging herself again.

Salem prepared another one, but at the same time, the air around Void started taking a purple hue and Salem couldn't help but notice it. Her smirk faltered as a thick cloud of smog descended on her, letting out a cry of discomfort and jumping back away from the Nihilego. It was too late, however; the Toxic had already taken hold.

"Damn…!" Salem breathed, her eyes twitching and body pained.

"Void not sick and twisted," the Nihilego said, still sounding sweet and nonchalant, "Void make Ultra Space pretty. And Void know that you… you strong, and you different."

Salem coughed with furrowed eyes, the poison's effects making her shiver. She couldn't see straight; her vision was starting to fade. Target though the Nihilego may have been, she couldn't take her eyes off of Void, as if they were locked in place.

"Tyrant," the Delphox nonetheless growled, forming another Shadow Ball.

"Void not like name-calling," the Nihilego nonchalantly brushed her off.

Again, though, Void bunched up and gave herself a hug with a whimper when the Future Sight landed, but still, the ends of her tentacle arms began to fill with purple. Salem loosed her ball of blackness, but Void too returned fire with her own attack- a Venoshock. Salem couldn't have dodged it even if she wanted to.

"_AGH-!_" the Delphox shouted.

_*Salem-!*_

Necrozma's voice barely registered. Salem's eyes closed, and she fell limp on the ground, her wand rolling out of her hand.

"Mmm… Ngh…!" the Delphox grunted, trying to hang on to a shred of consciousness.

Void, however, floated down to her and touched one tentacle to her face. Salem tried to recoil, but it was useless.

"You not worry; Void have mercy," the Nihilego's gentle voice came, "Void not kill you. Void like you; Void want you be Void's host."

"Ngh…! N-no…!" was Salem's only weak response.

The Nihilego's tentacle… it stung to the touch. Something, _something _wasn't right.

"You protest, but Void understand," Void mused softly, "Everyone scared of Void. It okay. You like Void eventually."

Salem's consciousness faded, and when it did, something else faded with it. Try as she might to fight the poison tugging at her mind, it was to no avail.

* * *

They could definitely see the resemblance- the snarling smirk, blistering heat, and raw determination were the same as what they'd seen on the outskirts. Necrozma's explanation made sense too, but nonetheless it sounded very… bleak and disconcerting, as if they were jumping in at the dying of the light and fighting a losing battle.

"… Remind me never to hug a Nihilego," Arashi said flatly.

Astrid agreed with his statement, but still perked up with inquisition. "W-wait a second," she interjected, "So, Salem was called in to stop Void, but… If it's the case that no one in Ultra Space is left… Six-Seven, you're from Ultra Space, right…? H-how are _you_ escaping all of this, if there's no one left to defy her…?"

Six-Seven hunched up a bit more. "… Because Void doesn't know I left yet," was the hesitant-sounding answer, "You can probably guess that eventually, that neurotoxin wears off, and for a dose from Void herself, it can take months… but she always makes sure to administer more to all of her underlings when it happens, so no one escapes her. S-see, I was one of the earlier ones she poisoned, and you can tell from my identification- 0067, or the sixty-seventh out of whatever unholy number it's at now. H-here, you can see it."

The Beast outstretched one arm and slightly twisted one of the cable sections near what seemed to be the wrist joint, and sure enough, 'UB03-0067' was marked on the inside. The Starstorm duo wasn't quite sure what to make of such, but before they could form much of a thought, Six-Seven withdrew it and it was hidden again.

"W-we get those marks when she poisons us, so we know who's on our side and she can keep track of us and who needs another dose… So for me, when the poison wore off, I was confused and upset, but I used what information I could recollect to play the part I'd been given since that's all I knew how to do… and I realized what Void was _really_ doing before she could poison me again, and pretended to still be under the effects. I stuck it out long enough to reach Necrozma, let them see my intentions, and the second the opportunity arose, I ditched the faction and came here in a wormhole. I'm the only one, aside from the Light Trio, that's trying to stop her. Everyone else, the Beasts I used to call comrades, haven't escaped her. I was lucky."

Astrid nodded, taking it in. If this Beast was lying, it was a doing a good job, for she no longer felt threatened by it in the least. It was behaving like _her _when caught off guard- touching its fingers together and hunching up in place of trying to sink into feathers, and using a very subdued voice. If it was an act, it was a wild success, but it didn't seem to be so.

"She acts sweet and innocent, but she isn't. She's the craziest one of the entire bunch," Six-Seven noted somewhat timidly, "She sent Salem here to try and get a head start on this world when they aren't attacking Necrozma, and she's telling Salem to destroy all of your evolution spots so no one can get strong enough to fight back in the interim. She wants to swoop in unimpeded, down your legendaries, subjugate your citizens, and kill anyone in her way. And… that's why she wants _you_, Astrid. Because you're just like Salem, and if she can have _another_ of the greatest weapon in her arsenal, she'll stop at nothing to get it."

The Dartrix whimpered, and her comrade gave her an alarmed look.

"Y-you've gotta be kidding!" Astrid exclaimed in dismay, "_That's_ why she wants me?! Sh-she wants me to… She wants to use me a-as… _Oh, Arceus above_…!"

The thought was absolutely terrifying. Azure had been right in his words- killing her would be a waste, but the alternative was far worse. Astrid couldn't imagine dealing in Salem's antics, not for a second, yet this Void entity had what sounded like an entire army of others exactly like that… She didn't want to dwell on the thought, for it was simply too unsettling to consider.

"B-but, Necrozma…!" the Dartrix stammered distraughtly, "W-why me, then?! I'm not all b-brave and fearless, I'm a n-nervous wreck when I t-talk to anyone new, and I'm a total outsider! I n-never wanted to save the world, I'm _scared_ of Salem, I've never heard of you or Ultra Space…! I-I'm sorry, but… I j-just don't get it. I'm n-no good for this…"

_*But you are,*_ Necrozma calmly said to the contrary, _*You see, Astrid, I chose you for very specific reasons after I witnessed Salem fail. You are timid beyond belief, you always think someone out there is better than yourself, and you are horribly insecure. You cannot function alone.*_

"Hey!" Arashi shouted playfully at the unseen one, "Don't talk bad about her! She's great!"

Astrid ruffled up even more, wanting to sink into her feathers. She couldn't help but think Necrozma was absolutely right, even if her comrade felt comfortable enough to argue with the highest power of Ultra Space.

_*Rest easy, Arashi, I do not mean to disparage,*_ the Blinding One replied, _*I mean it as a contrast. You, Astrid, like Salem, lacked a clear direction in life. As promising as Salem was, she was alone with only me to guide her from afar. She was fast to fully evolve on this world and quick to take the offensive even on Beasts much stronger than her when I brought her to Ultra Space, and she could win. But when faced with Void in the flesh, she was overpowered. I chose you because I knew that, if I gave you a role, you might fuss about being the wrong choice, but you would step up. I knew that I had no worries of you being overpowered, because while it is nothing to complain about having, you don't rely on your power alone. Your run-ins with Salem's underlings have easily proved such. And to be sure you wouldn't be stuck by yourself where you would likely lose ambition, I sent you Six-Seven as a comrade… but that did not go as planned.*_

The Dartrix in question had her attention piqued again and went back to studying the Beast, carefully mulling over Necrozma's words.

_*While Salem's prowess is almost entirely in attacking, she is a Psychic-type like myself, and with Void's boosts while I was on the defensive like this, she managed to pry into my thoughts just long enough to glean that I had sent you, Astrid. However, she did not know that I had an ally in Six-Seven, and I could not risk losing the only renegade with the full knowledge of Ultra Space's situation. I had intended for you to awaken on this world and meet with Six-Seven, who could act on my behalf in getting you up to speed… But I suppose I failed to properly account for just how confused and scared you would be, given the extreme turn in situations and the fact that you were completely unfamiliar with any kind of Beast.*_

They would've seen her blush if her feathers hadn't been in the way, and timidly she took a few steps backwards. "W-wait, so you're saying…" her voice trailed off, studying the beast, "S-Six-Seven, I was supposed to meet _you_…" then with her eyes falling on Arashi next to her, "And not _you_…?"

Arashi likewise seemed puzzled, his countenance turning into an awkward grin.

"That's exactly what they're saying," Six-Seven answered, "_I_ was supposed to be your partner, but to be fair here…"

The Xurkitree sparked some more, which made both Astrid and Arashi jump, but just as fast, it died down. Nonetheless, Six-Seven wasn't hunched up anymore, but rather looking as flustered as a creature of cables and glowing spikes could get.

"_I'd_ never seen a _Rowlet _before, either! Almost all of the plant-based sentient creatures on this world are Grass-types, and most of them aren't scary at all! Where I come from, plant-based life forms are Xurkitree like me and Celesteela, me being an Electric-type that launches superbolts with ease, and the latter being Steel- and Flying-types that blast off from their craters when mature and burn forests down if they get angry! We don't even _have_ Water-types like _you_, Arashi, and the only Grass-type I _am_ familiar with is Kartana, which is dangerous to even _touch_ because their edges are so sharp! _Everything_ here is the polar opposite of what I'm used to! But _I_ didn't go screeching and running off of cliffs at seeing something weird, now _did_ I? I mean… Sheesh!"

Yet again, the Dartrix was blushing and trying to sink into her feathers. She had to acknowledge that she probably could've handled the encounter much better, but in any case, Six-Seven's frustration seemed to melt almost as soon as the words stopped, and the Beast went back to shirking up and looking shy again with copper fingertips gently touching together.

"A-ah, I'm sorry," Six-Seven mused, sounding rather subdued, "I shouldn't shout like that; I don't like being shouted at either…"

Astrid blinked, still intently eyeing their company.

"Alright, tell us your side," Arashi said gently to the Beast, giving it a thoughtful look, "There's more here than me and Astrid can see."

"Th-there is, and _a lot_…" Six-Seven's voice trailed off again. "L-look, I didn't mean to threaten anyone, and I get it- if, say, a Garchomp or Tyranitar randomly showed up after I'd had my memories erased, I'd freak out too. We picked the outskirts of Tranquil Town since hardly anything happens here, and I hit you with a weak bolt in hopes that you'd faint so I could go without risking Salem or her underlings getting their eyes on you, but obviously, that didn't quite work. I didn't know the landscape very well, so by the time I could find you again, you were already awake and talking with Arashi. It's not like I could just walk out and explain myself then, since I'm a rebel and I'm not supposed to be here, so I couldn't risk anyone seeing me. I stayed hidden, and I kept a watch on you to see if Salem or her comrades would show.

"Then that Nidoking Nez tried to help you- in his mind, anyway- and I was just going to knock him out in one fell swoop so Salem wouldn't have an easier time locating you, but he figured me out. Obviously, I couldn't explain myself there, either- all I could say was that I needed you, Astrid, and not what it was for. He wouldn't have been dumb enough to believe I was your friend or your cousin or anything like that, and there was no way I was divulging any of the details for someone else to know and Salem to potentially get wind of it. It wasn't what I _wanted_ to do, but battling resolved it. If I can, I want to tell him I'm sorry, because I know he didn't mean any harm and it probably _did_ look like I was the bad guy. We were both just trying to look out for you.

"Then there was the little Pikipek- Rina, is it? I know you all know I was there, because I was hiding myself in the last floor to try and talk to you again, and you got all scared when 'the Beast' came up. Look, I hit the entire room with Discharge before the dungeon-dwellers could do any harm, and I knocked her out too, but only because I couldn't risk being seen by someone so apt to go telling her friends or her parents. I've cleared dungeons way more threatening than Brushwood Tangle, so I know how intimidating it can be if you get lost in the wrong one, and I didn't want to see anything happen to a little one like her that just got lost in the wrong area. I didn't mean anyone any harm.

"And soon after that was Zariel, right? I saw most of that fight from the cliffs, and honestly, I was you relieved you got away as clean as you did. I was ready to jump in myself and drop a few lightning bolts on her, but you seemed to be handling yourself fine, so I didn't… at least, until you left. When you left, I was gonna… finish her off… but Salem was in front of Necrozma again, and Necrozma told me to run, since Salem had figured out something was wrong with Zariel. As close as Salem is with Zariel and Azure, she can tell when something goes awry. I couldn't risk being seen there either, especially not by _them_, so I ran.

"And then I got word from Necrozma again that Azure was going after you. That worried me more than Zariel, so I went to Lake Lucent as fast as I could to talk you out of it… But by the time I could comb the dungeon to find you, you'd already won and I'd lost you again. I tried to finish Azure off too, but… he woke up before I could hit him with Discharge, and I feigned camaraderie to make it look like I was still with the faction and hopefully prevent Salem from figuring out that I'm a renegade, at least before I could make contact with you. I don't intend to let that situation happen again, so hopefully that won't come back to bite me. But I knew that, with both of her most trusted getting defeated in battle, Salem wasn't going to stay out of the picture… Which brings us to today."

The more Six-Seven went on, the more it fell into place. Astrid's eyes went wide, but not in fright- in an absolute stupor that almost every notion she'd had beforehand could be so easily smashed in one fell swoop. If there was one thing their talk had accomplished, it was that- as messy as the situation seemed before, it was _still_ an absolute mess, but at least an _understandable_ one. It was like looking at a shiny surface, only to realize it was but one facet on a large diamond. She could make sense of it, but there was certainly a _lot_ to make sense of. Arashi likewise was silent with an intent gaze, his utter quietness enough to make anyone else realize something was out of the ordinary.

"S-so…" Astrid stammered, "… We've been wrong this entire time. You really _weren't_ on Salem's side…"

Six-Seven nodded, copper fingertips still touching together. "Never in a million years would I willingly go along with her or her tyrant of a boss."

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, and the Frogadier broke into an awkward look.

"… This is _my_ fault, then, isn't it?" Arashi mused with an uncertain smile, "I mean… If I hadn't woke Astrid up…"

"_No!_" Astrid immediately screeched to the contrary, sticking both tips of her wings on his arms, "What happened has happened, and you're my friend now! _Nothing_ is changing that! I'm not fighting Salem or Void or anyone else if I can't have you with me!"

Her comrade chuckled, still looking a bit uncertain but nonetheless giving her a hug.

_*As much of a mess as it was, this has worked out well,*_ Necrozma noted otherwise as well, _*You are valuable in your own right, and if Astrid places such significance on you, there is nothing wrong with that.*_

"Well, that's a relief," the Frogadier giggled, letting go of his friend.

Astrid, however, skittered closer to Six-Seven, tilting her head all the way back to look up at the Beast that towered over her. "I'm s-sorry I doubted you," she said shyly, "C-can… Can we put all that behind us…? I don't think you're bad… I-if I'm gonna do what I was brought here to do, then I'm g-gonna need your help…"

The Beast knelt down and would've been looking her in the eyes if there were any eyes with which to look. "You don't have to apologize, and absolutely. I'm just glad we're on the same page."

She nodded, and reached her wings out for a hug, but quickly realized she was far too small to reach. Thankfully, Six-Seven picked up on the gesture and reached out to pick her up, the long cable arms easily dwarfing the Dartrix. There were no sparks, but Astrid quickly figured out that it did not matter- being nestled under the Beast's head still made her feathers stand on end. When it put her back down, she deflated.

"Hey, Astrid, I think Six-Seven should join our team," Arashi piped up with a smile.

She cast him a somewhat surprised look, and Six-Seven seemed likewise surprised and gave a sudden twitch.

"H-huh?!" the Beast exclaimed.

"C'mon, you're our comrade!" Arashi cheerfully explained, "You can't tell me for a second that you're not! We're all on the same page here, aren't we? Keep Astrid from Void's faction and keep Void and Salem from wrecking everything! You're one of us, Six-Seven!"

"B-but…" Six-Seven stammered, shirking up again. "I… barely know either one of you. Are you seriously comfortable with that…?"

Astrid and Arashi shared another look.

"Are you alright with it, Astrid?" Arashi inquired of the Dartrix.

"F-fine by me," was the quick answer.

"Then that settles it!" Arashi laughed, "C'mon, you totally should! You don't have to be all social if you don't want to; that's practically my job anyway! You'd be a perfect addition! Besides, no one else has to know what you're really up to; we can just keep it between us!"

The Beast appeared to be mulling it over for a second, then mused, "Necrozma…?"

_*Does this idea appeal to you? Be honest.*_

"I-it does…"

_*Then I have no objections. Should any enemies personally ask you while not actively trying to harm Astrid or her friend, you are merely stranded on this world and keeping an eye on the ones of interest. Your true allegiance is far more likely to be uncovered now than it was prior, but that is still no reason to announce your treachery for all of Void's faction to see. Other than that, do as you see fit.*_

Six-Seven nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

Arashi gave a happy shout while bouncing up and down in excitement, and Astrid likewise got a happy look, albeit one far less overt.

"Okay, if we're on friendly terms here, then I've gotta ask you something," Arashi noted, turning back to the Beast again. "What's with this 'identification' business? We asked who you were, and you gave us a string of letters and numbers. You're not _actually_ telling us your name is Six-Seven, are you?"

The one in question twitched a bit, bunching up slightly. "I'm… n-not quite sure I understand."

"You know, like our names are Astrid and Arashi," Arashi replied, "Your identification might be whatever that bunch of numbers was that you rattled off, but that's not your name. Can't we call you something else? It's not like you're just a number in a series, unless you do things differently on Ultra Space."

The copper-plated fingers touched together in what looked like an uncertain gesture. "But… that _is_ what I'm called. That's what I've been for as long as I can remember…"

"Oh, _come on_," Arashi sighed playfully. "I guess that _identifies_ you, but that's awfully impersonal, don't you think?"

A few buzzing sounds came from the Xurkitree, and it touched its fingers together some more while the spiked ball shifted about. Back to shrinking up their company went, looking awfully shy even without facial expressions to convey such.

_*They are not of the mindset that 'identification' and 'name' are synonymous, and you do not have a name, Six-Seven,*_ came Necrozma's voice. _*Or at least, you have not chosen one, nor had one bestowed.*_

"A-ah, I didn't think so…" the Xurkitree's voice trailed off.

Arashi got a surprised but happy look again, exclaiming, "Then we should give you one! You can't just be zero-three-zero, er… whatever that was, for forever! You need a name!"

The Xurkitree perked up, seeming inquisitive at the idea. "What constitutes a good name, then…?"

"Well, my name means 'storm,' because it's pretty fitting for my evolutionary line, and honestly, I really like the sound of it too," Arashi mused, "And then my friend Trixie is Trixie because it sounds mischievous and happy-go-lucky, pretty fitting for her line too. There's 'Lila' and 'Charlie' that just sound nice, but we also met a Lurantis called 'Lurantis' because, according to her, fancy titles are no good. What kind of feel are you going for?"

Six-Seven's fingers went back to tapping together. "W-well… I'm… honestly not sure. Necrozma…?"

_*This is not something I should have a say in.*_

"A-ah…" Six-Seven took it in, then looking over the other two present, "What appeals to you two?"

Astrid was a bit caught off guard, trying to think of something but drawing an utter blank. She didn't even know where her own name came from, much less how to give one to someone else she'd just met. Between her and her partner, that _definitely_ wasn't her strong suit- the 'Starstorm' moniker had been Arashi's idea, after all.

However, the Frogadier piped up again with a grin. "I got it! We can call you Raijin!"

The Beast paused for a second. "Raijin…?"

"Yeah!" Arashi affirmed, "I'm pretty sure it means something along the lines of 'the lord of thunder,' and you're an Electric-type, right? It fits, and it sounds cool!"

It sounded eccentric, Astrid couldn't help but think. But that was certainly par, and it was far better than anything she could come up with. 'Zap' and 'Squiggle' were about all that came to the Dartrix's mind, which she brushed off fairly quickly.

"Raijin…" the Beast repeated, "I… I like that. Necrozma, is that okay…?"

_*If it appeals to you, I'll call you whatever you like.*_

The Xurkitree nodded. "Alright, I'm Raijin."

The Frogadier gave another happy cry, gleefully clapping his hands together, but nonetheless he quickly got another inquisitive look and studied their new comrade. "Well, Raijin, can I ask you something else?"

"Go ahead."

Getting a slightly awkward smile, Arashi inquired, "What's your gender? I've never seen a Beast before, so I really have no idea how to tell."

That… had been something that didn't cross Astrid's mind, but sure enough, she too had no idea.

Raijin seemed to get a bit flustered again, twitching a bit, but nonetheless inquired back, "Y-you don't mean for… breeding purposes, do you? Because, er… W-we don't really… do that…"

Astrid couldn't help but blush a bit, and someplace far off, Necrozma seemed to be mentally chuckling at their antics.

"No, no!" Arashi quickly brushed it aside, still grinning. "Like, are you a boy, a girl, or something else? Some Pokémon like Unown don't breed and some like Klinklang need a Ditto, but they have genders too! Like, I'm a boy, Astrid's a girl, and something like an Unown might be neither, so what does that make you? You're obviously not wild, so I don't wanna refer to you as 'it' unless that's what you like!"

That seemed to ring a bell, and the Beast perked up. "Oh! You mean pronoun preferences! I'm 'he,' in that case."

Arashi nodded. "Okay, that covers it! I'm done asking questions now!"

_*My, you_ are _the social one.*_

The Frogadier only giggled, not protesting it, and Astrid certainly wasn't going to disagree.

"That covers it on my end, too," Raijin noted. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before adding, "Hah, I'm so glad that's finally out of the way…! I was so worried…"

Astrid found herself peering back up at their new teammate and inquired, "S-so, you have more info than us, in this case… Sh-should we go after Salem now, then…?"

_*Oh, heavens, no!*_ Necrozma's voice quickly chimed in, _*The likelihood of her being in Void's proximity now is far too high, and I currently cannot afford to exhaust the energy that transporting you to Ultra Space would require. Regardless, the likelihood of you being murdered almost as soon as-! AGH! Apologies, I must go!*_

A startled cry escaped Astrid's voice as her feathers fluffed out again, but she softly piped up, "W-will they be okay…?"

"They should be," Raijin quickly replied, "But don't worry; they always answer sooner or later. That happens a lot when they're trying to talk to me, too."

The Dartrix nodded.

"Should we go back home and let everyone know we're still alive…?" Arashi proposed. "They'd probably hear you out, Raijin."

Astrid, however, immediately piped up to the contrary, giving her partner a startled look. "Are you crazy?! Salem's bunch is probably out there looking for us if Salem herself isn't! The perpetrators never return to the crime scene, never mind the _victims!_ We can't go back now; she'd burn the whole town down if she hasn't already!"

Immediately after the words 'if she hasn't already' left her beak, both she and the Frogadier alike got a startled look.

"Point taken, but, er…" Arashi's voice trailed off, then looking to Raijin, "Do you know what happened to her…? Did she… hurt anyone…?"

Raijin shook his head. "I couldn't tell you specifics, but there were definitely some fainted figures, and she was running for the forest with a Flamethrower. She didn't raze your town, thankfully, but the surroundings… Let's just say, I think she was trying to find you in the forest by burning it down. There's a _huge_ chunk of charred trees, but it didn't spread to the _entire_ thing."

That didn't bode well for either one of them, and Arashi looked dismayed while Astrid looked horrified.

The Frogadier let out a heavy breath, breaking into an uncertain smile with misty eyes. "W-well…! I know Mom and Dad can take care of themselves, but…! Oh, Xerneas, grant everyone life again if anything happened…!"

The Dartrix skittered over and placed a wing around him, looking upset herself but sharing a determined glance. "H-hey, you've always been the one to say things are gonna be fine… I believe that…"

Arashi nodded, wrapping his arms around her. "I do, too."

They disentangled, and the Dartrix shook her head as if to clear the myriad of thoughts running through it. She looked between both of her teammates and mused, "Well, Raijin, unless you've got any better ideas, I think I know where we _should_ go…"

Raijin shook his head, looking over at her. "Unless it's regarding something from Ultra Space, I'm listening to you and Arashi. You two know what you're doing."

"Where are you thinking of?" Arashi inquired of the Dartrix.

She cast gave Arashi a knowing look and replied, "Craggy Crossroads."

Almost instantly, her partner's face lit up, and Raijin too seemed to perk up inquisitively.

"We can't go running back to Tranquil Town, that's for sure," Astrid explained, "If Rush still remembers us like Adnea wrote in that letter, he'd probably hear us out. We'll have to figure out the way there, but it's a much better shot."

Enthusiastically, Arashi was nodding in agreement. "You're right. Let's do it!"

The Dartrix looked to Raijin next and asked, "Do you know about the Expedition Coalition?"

"I don't," Raijin answered.

"Then I'm sure Arashi can tell you all about them," Astrid mused with a little smile, her aquatic friend looking eager to do so. "So we're in agreement here?"

Two nods were her answer.

Whatever the case may have been, she'd finally gotten answers, and that was plenty good enough for her. A new teammate and some ethereal allies were a perfect blessing she wouldn't turn down, for what lied in wait on their path ahead seemed absolutely intent on ripping every peaceful status quo to shreds.

'Void.' Something empty of everything, only a hollow and dark nothingness… Such a name seemed fitting for such an adversary. Surely, there was nothing _good_ inside of her.

As frightening as the world may have first appeared, there was too much there worth saving to even think of letting it fall into the hands of a callous, narcissistic tyrant. She'd escaped three of Void's faction, and two of Salem's 'temporary subjects,' which certainly had to count for something… But one way or another, she wouldn't allow herself to become another wayward weapon of smiling destruction like Salem.

No, she wouldn't let _any_ of them win.

* * *

_**Author's note**: Hello again, lovelies. I'm still caught up in studying over here, but I'd just like to chime in and say that this part of the story that I'm about to get into is what I have been looking forward to for quite some time, so I do hope you enjoy. I am also going to take the time to look over some of the earlier chapters and revise them a bit (I have noticed a few minor errors and some places that could generally benefit from a revision to sound better), so please be patient with me for the time being, as I am a rather busy woman at the moment._


	24. Chapter 24: Another Interception

Whenever Raijin nudged the stone slab covering the cavern opening aside, it didn't take long at all to see the sky filled with smoke and smell the charred remains of whatever Salem felt it necessary to torch. Thankfully, it wasn't _purple_ smoke filling the air, but in any case, it was as if a thick cloud of grey had descended upon everything in the vicinity. Astrid found it terribly uncomfortable, the sheer dryness of the air irritating her eyes, and Arashi blinked a bit too, but Raijin didn't seem to mind at all (probably on account of his wildly differing physiology).

The wild ones were in clear distress, several Pidgeys and Fearows raising a ruckus on the ground below while a Bellossom and Petilil seemed to be outright crying. A little squeaking Hoothoot tried to nuzzle under a larger Noctowl as best as it could, one of the Noctowl's wings with a section of feathers burnt off and the skin reddened underneath. It wasn't very hard to imagine _why_ they were in such a fuss when the Starstorm trio looked in the direction of the water again and saw a _huge_ section of the trees that formerly rose up in the distance away from town charred and smoldering. The trunks took a blackened shade, the leaves reduced to dark grey ashes scattered on the scorched ground. A few red embers flickered among the blackened landscape, an extraordinarily sharp contrast to the greenery that still flourished on the edges of the burn. Only a lone Murkrow and a hesitant Caterpie poked around that they could see, both fussing and apparently trying to search for something under the charred remains.

Astrid and Arashi were both aghast at the sight.

"She… wasn't messing around…" Arashi mused faintly.

Astrid could only blink a few times, utterly taken aback. If Raijin _hadn't_ knocked them out… it would've been one painful way to be hunted down, _that_ was certain. She couldn't have been gladder for the interception, all things considered.

"Thankfully, this is the brunt of it…" Raijin said softly, touching his fingertips together again. "She didn't torch your town, at least…"

That much was a welcome relief. The Dartrix glanced about, still unnerved by the pure destruction wrought by the wild-eyed Delphox, but thankfully it seemed they'd been spared of her utter madness. Azure and Zariel had both been a nightmare to deal with in their own right, but their boss certainly lived up to her reputation. Astrid's mind kept trying to play over both her own memories and those shown to them by Necrozma, but she shut them out for the time being.

"R-Raijin, just how long were we knocked out?" Astrid inquired, giving the Beast a glance.

"About two hours," was her answer. "I think Salem stopped torching the landscape after about an hour of trying to find you, and if she knew I'd taken you and run off here, we would've gotten into a fight already… Y-you're not still feeling beat up, are you? I don't have any healing items- or any items at all, actually, or I would've given you some…"

The Dartrix shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. Arashi, you?"

"I'll get over it," the Frogadier brushed it off, not too concerned with whatever residual damage remained.

"We shouldn't take any chances in case her underlings or anyone else are still prowling around looking for us," Astrid softly declared, eyeing the landscape. "If we find a dungeon, we should go through it. We need to get out of reach."

Her two comrades were in agreement, and the three of them set to scurrying down the rocky terrain and back to the more lush earth below (or at least, the vicinity that Salem hadn't burned). The boundary of Tranquil Town was small on the horizon, the cliffs surrounding it seeming untouched by Salem's scorching heat too, but the glances back to it were quite fleeting. Much closer to the ground, Astrid found herself hopping over or around some embers that still smoldered on the grass and dirt, not wanting to risk an accidental burn (and simply being put off by the residual heat they carried that certainly pained her Grass-type attributes).

"So what is this about the Expedition Coalition, you called it…?" Raijin inquired, glancing about as they took off towards the burned brush and the green edges lying beyond it.

Arashi got a hapless grin at the mention, and instantly started gushing away despite the remaining uncertainty shrouding them. "They're the _best!_ All of them together are practically the best expedition team this side of the continent, so if _they_ can't help you, then no one can! Rush, the leader, and his second-in-command Rozen are my idols, and I've never heard of them losing a to anyone else! See, Rush is a brawling Scrafty that loves getting into fights with outlaws and evil-doers and Rozen is this cutesy Audino, absolutely no good for fighting, but when he's with Rush, Rush hardly ever takes damage because Rozen just nullifies it! They're practically _invincible_ together!"

Raijin nodded. "Well, that certainly sounds like good team composition; Void was keen about all that too when placing us," he noted, "Scrafty is Dark- and Fighting-type, right? And Audino is… Fairy?"

"You're right on Scrafty, but Audino is Normal-type unless you're talking about Mega Audino, which is Normal and Fairy," Arashi replied, leaping over a burnt log.

"Good to know," said the Beast, "I've studied up on your kind and how many different species of Pokémon there are, but my knowledge still isn't where I'd like it to be."

"Well, we can tell you about Pokémon, and you can tell us about Beasts," the Frogadier nonchalantly proposed.

"Er, now might be a good time to mention that the Expedition Coalition _also_ knows you exist, Raijin," Astrid chimed in, carefully skittering around a smoldering piece of wood, "My first day here, we ended up meeting Rush and Rozen and I told them I got attacked by some weird creature in the woods- _you_\- and they had no idea what you were, either. So, they… they probably think you're up to no good, too."

"That's fine; it was bound to happen at _some_ point," Raijin brushed it off, shaking his head, "So I should be prepared to explain myself to them too, I suppose."

"Probably," Arashi concurred.

Nonetheless, when the ground (quickly) became much more blackened underfoot and singed with the remnants of Salem's Flamethrower, Astrid took to flying to avoid contact with it and Arashi seemed discomforted with the heat left over even if fire wasn't much of a concern to a Water-type. If Raijin was bothered, he wasn't displaying it- but if those cables were so used to launching lightning (which could get _very_ hot), then maybe some smoldering brush wasn't all that big of a deal, or so Astrid figured. A few of the wild ones let out cries of distress at seeing them tread through it, almost as if to warn them not to go further albeit without the words to say so.

Even so, Arashi got a cheeky grin again and glanced up at Raijin while brushing aside the charred remains of a hedge. "Okay, I know I said I was done asking questions, but Raijin, can I ask you another one?"

"Go ahead," was the easy response.

"Are you using electricity to talk?" the Frogadier inquired, "And while I'm at it, how do you see without eyes? I'm assuming it's not with echolocation like a Zubat, aha!"

Astrid blinked, utterly unsure of what to make of her partner's antics. She wouldn't have even bothered to think to ask, but since Arashi did, she too wanted to know.

The Xurkitree, however, didn't seem that fazed. "You're right; I talk with sound waves that I produce from electrically-stimulated vibrations, and no, I don't use echolocation. You can't see them under this spiky shell around my head, but I've got eyes- or at least, the necessary organs for visual processing. I couldn't tell you any specifics other than that, really… Maybe someone else on Ultra Space could tell you all the details about Beast biology, but if I'm being honest, I'm not really the type to go busting open another Xurkitree's head to find out."

At his last sentence, both Astrid and Arashi perked up, the Dartrix with alarm and the Frogadier with uncertain surprise.

"Has that _happened?_" Arashi asked, giving their comrade another glance.

Astrid couldn't help but think that surely, it had happened _somewhere_\- in an entire universe, the likelihood of a Xurkitree getting their head busted open one way or another was pretty likely, as was a completely unrelated Delphox burning a random Dartrix to a crisp.

Raijin touched his fingers together again, shrinking up just a bit. "W-well, I haven't seen that _exact_ scenario play out, but I have seen an angry, poisoned Pheromosa Jump Kick straight through a Naganadel's face," he mused somewhat reluctantly, "It was… ugly. Really, _really_ ugly."

Whatever 'Pheromosa' and 'Naganadel' referred to, neither Astrid nor Arashi knew, but they didn't need many details to figure out exactly what Raijin was getting at.

"Don't ask," Astrid said quickly to her partner, ruffling up a bit.

Arashi giggled hesitantly. "Don't worry; I wasn't planning to…~"

Most of the brush either crumbled or cracked when touched, scattering ashes on the Starstorm bunch even without them trying to gather it. The burnt remnants of the bushes were easy to move out of the way for the two shorter ones of the team, for a gentle swipe of a hand or wing was enough to scatter them on the ground. The dark grey seeping into Astrid's plumage wasn't near as much of a bother as the almost painful dryness the ash brought when it interlaced with her feathers, making for a very uncomfortable sensation that she just couldn't get rid of. The residual smoke wafting up from the smoldering trunks of torched trees didn't offer a great feeling either, far less pleasant than out of the way in the higher rocky edges of the landscape.

A slightly perturbed cry came from Arashi when he noticed the near-incinerated remains of a smallish Hoothoot nestled underneath a hedge, hardly able to be distinguished as such, and Astrid got a bit wide-eyed at seeing it too but quickly turned her attention elsewhere. Judging from its size, it probably hadn't learned to fly yet. The little thing hadn't stood a chance.

Regardless, Tranquil Town was vanishing over the horizon soon enough, and all three of them were thankful when they finally set foot on some earth that hadn't been torched even if the ash and smoke from Salem's flaming wrath wafted about here and there. The trees overhead still had their green leaves and the undergrowth was at least somewhat vibrant, as if the wild-eyed Delphox had simply given up her hunt and stopped along one front. Perhaps she had, or perhaps she decided to go another route in hunting them down that didn't necessitate engulfing the land in a hellish inferno, but whatever the reasons, the greenery was a welcome cover. At the very least, if some of her subordinates were prowling around, it would offer the Starstorm trio at least a shred of obscurity.

Precisely _how_ far the forested area went, they had no idea, but it eased their tensions just a bit.

"S-say, how do events on the outside of a dungeon affect what's on the inside…?" Astrid's voice trailed off, "Er, I guess what I'm really saying is… If we hit a dungeon, do we have to worry about the insides of it being on fire?"

"Dungeons are usually a lot more resilient than that," Arashi answered. "Unless we just get really unlucky, that is!"

"I've never seen that happen either," Raijin added.

The Dartrix was glad for that too. If their best option was running into an ever-changing maze, she didn't want it to be _on fire_, at least. As awful of a string of happenings as they were on, such seemed about par.

However, it didn't take long for the trees to start clumping together suspiciously close, the arrangement of which Astrid noticed was strikingly similar to Brushwood Tangle, albeit with less 'tangle.'

"This is starting to look like one," Arashi noted, glancing about.

"I was thinking the same," Astrid noted, carefully scanning their surroundings. "So, that being said, I should ask… Raijin, you seem to have a lot of experience; am I right in assuming that?"

"You are," the Xurkitree answered, "I might not have been in control of myself for the vast majority of it, but battling and dungeon-crawling was pretty much the _only_ thing I did when I was with the faction."

Astrid nodded. "I figured, and you're obviously really strong, so while we're in the dungeon… unless me or Arashi do something _incredibly_ stupid or something terrible happens, I think most of the battling should be left to us. If Void has a horde of Beasts like you running around, then me and Arashi still need to get stronger, and using you as a crutch isn't going to help anyone. Save those Discharges for a Monster House if we get one."

Arashi got a bit of a surprised look at her words, but didn't protest them.

"You sure?" Raijin meekly replied, touching his fingers together again, "Helping you out is kinda my entire mission, after all…"

"Sheesh, we've got a heavy-hitter like him in our corner, and you're probably the only one that would tell him _not_ to go blasting everything," the Frogadier jested.

"I'm sure," Astrid wasn't fazed, "I'm not telling you to completely stay out of the way, Raijin; I'm saying that I'm not taking you for granted. That's a surefire way to get wrecked by another one from Void's faction in the future, I'm sure."

It was Raijin's turn to nod. "Right. I understand."

Sure enough, the trees clumping together lead them straight to an opening within the trunks and limbs, the inside obscured from their view by a dark haze. The branches of the trees seemed a bit different from those on the outside of the dungeon's edge, too- they drooped down a bit more with heavier leaves, and their coloration was more bluish than green. The air felt slightly chilled, but not outright chilly- rather, a welcome break from the mostly burnt surroundings not too far away.

"Keep an eye out for items," Astrid instructed, studying their vicinity before trailing straight in, "The gods know we could probably use some…"

**Dusky Grotto 1F**

It wasn't nighttime outside but the inside of the dungeon definitely resembled a forest in the evening, probably on account of just how thick the overgrowth was. There was hardly a place for light to seep through the dense limbs overhead, leading to primarily dim surroundings with just a few brighter beams drifting down from above. While not smothering or even a bother, the air felt slightly heavy and damp. The trees grew so closely together that even attempting to squeeze through them would be impossible, and their branches slumped downwards with large bluish-tinted leaves that probably could've been used as hiding places in their own right. Partly dark soil and partly dark green grass interspersed with a few smaller tree shoots made up the floor, which admittedly felt rather nice to stand on (especially in comparison to the scorched earth that could easily be reached outside). The place felt rejuvenating and alive, yet… slightly suspicious somehow, as if the wild ones could easily jump out to attack at any given point from the thickly sprawling canopy overhead.

Astrid was certainly keeping watch for any of them, or anyone else they might not want to see, as she strode off for the nearest corridor with Arashi behind her and Raijin behind Arashi. The Xurkitree's glowing appendages shed some light to the otherwise dim surroundings made even dimmer in the narrow passages, which was certainly welcome for the increase in visibility.

"Arashi, what's left in our bag?" Astrid inquired, giving her partner a quick glance back. "It isn't much, is it?"

"An apple, a chestnut, and a Pure Seed," the Frogadier answered, grabbing it and opening it up for a second.

"A few Oran berries would be nice, but I guess an emergency situation won't let us have that advantage," the Dartrix remarked, cataloging the info. "I'm glad we still have _that_ much, at least…"

"You heal faster with Oran berries, right…?" Raijin inquired, ducking down a bit to avoid a hanging branch on the ceiling.

"Yeah, that's their main use in dungeons," Arashi answered, "Don't you use them too? Or have you just not had to yet?"

"W-well, I don't really have a mouth to eat berries with even if I wanted to," Raijin responded uncertainly.

An awkward grin graced Arashi's face, and he laughed. "Riiiight! I guess I'm an idiot, aha!"

Without making a sound, Astrid shook her head haplessly at her partner's antics. When they'd first met, the then-Froakie had been fascinated with her too, and the Beast on their team was clearly not immune to Arashi's intrigue either.

"Then what _do_ you do?" the Frogadier asked, going right back to being chipper.

"I recharge," Raijin replied, "I stick the ends of my tail and limbs into the ground and regain health by absorbing energy from the ground. It's useful in that I don't need items to regain health, but the downside is that certain environments are _way_ harder than others to do it in and my mobility is limited while I'm doing it."

"That still sounds way more convenient than berries," Astrid remarked.

"For exploring, it is, but if you get into a fight, it's not," the Xurkitree mused.

That aspect was something Astrid wasn't going to contest. Being stuck in one place in _any_ of their major battles likely would've been an outright death sentence, be it Zariel's Flamethrower or Lurantis' Solar Blade coming at them.

The curled-up form of a sleeping Poochyena met them when the corridor opened up into the next room, the little canine seeming rather serene in its nap, but shortly something else was catching their attention.

"Ah-!" Raijin cried suddenly.

Astrid and Arashi both turned around rather quickly to see one of the smaller saplings- or at least, what _looked_ like a smaller sapling- uproot itself and reveal a fussing Trevenant with black-shrouded claws swiping at the Xurkitree rather close to it. Without saying a word, Astrid darted over and Pecked it, getting a growl of rage in return.

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb," Raijin remarked mildly, jumping back from it.

Arashi's Water Pulse did little against the hostile ghost, but the sleeping Poochyena looked up from its slumber and was immediately startled by the presence of outsiders.

"Don't worry, we're not here to hurt your trees," Astrid dryly mused to their leafy company, flapping out of the way of a Leech Seed.

Arashi too hopped out of the way of the scattered seeds, looking dismayed at the prospect of being hit by them. They sprouted, but there was nothing to sap, which seemed to upset the Trevenant even more. The Poochyena, on the other hand, looked to the Frogadier and rushed out with Biting jaws, seeming intent to thrash anything it could get in its mouth. A Quick Attack slammed it down though, and Arashi was fast to jump back before its snapping jaws could get a proper hit in.

The Trevenant growled at Astrid being so close and tried to Hex her with a few ghostly pulses of energy, but the Dartrix wasn't having any of it and flew so as to avoid them before diving down to attack with her beak again. The woody one put up a fuss and swung a shadow-shrouded claw again, but she made a perch of its horns and delivered one last blow to its head that put it out. The Poochyena fixated on Arashi shortly fell from a Water Pulse too.

"Huh…" Astrid mused, mostly to herself as she jumped off of the slumping Trevenant, "That last move felt stronger…"

"Your move or the Trevenant's?" Arashi inquired, perking up and darting closer to her again.

"Mine," Astrid answered, brushing one wing off a bit, "What comes after Peck… Pluck? I think I just learned Pluck."

Her partner grinned. "Hah, good for you! If this place has a bunch of Grass-types, then that's handy!"

"Poor thing; that must've hurt then," Raijin said softly, giving the Trevenant a glance and touching his fingers together again.

At that, Arashi gave the Beast an amiable but funny look at his remark. "Yeeeaaaaaah, you are _definitely_ not on the same side as Salem."

That was obvious enough already, but Astrid certainly agreed with her partner's sentiments before giving the room a quick scan. It was empty save for the fainted figures, nothing particularly of interest save for maybe a few stray branches dipping down lower than the rest. There were two corridors, and she picked the one closest to them on their left to venture down. The sound of rustling leaves graced them, but the source wasn't going to reveal itself and didn't jump out to attack.

"Y'know, of the dungeons we've been in, I kinda like the feel of this one…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she glanced about the tunnel for anything that might've been lurking.

"I'd take this one too," Raijin concurred.

Arashi giggled. "You two can have it!" he playfully shot back.

A few yellowish peels with browned spots littered the floor when they entered the room, clearly haplessly discarded by another dungeon-dweller they couldn't see in their vicinity. A smaller sapling's trunk was also splintered in half with the top flung clear across the room, seemingly indicative of an altercation but the combatants thereof nowhere to be found. The ones traversing the dungeon gave it a look, Astrid tilting her head to the side as she studied it.

"What would cause-" the Dartrix began to pipe up.

However, she was cut off by a yelling screech that made them all jump in fright, some of the leaves overhead rustling furiously. In moments, a Primeape was dropping down from the ceiling's overgrowth and stomping its feet angrily on the ground.

"Never mind!" Astrid cried quickly, shaking some leaves loose and sending a Razor Leaf the moment she laid eyes on it.

The Primeape didn't even care who its target was, for it ran at them while Fury Swiping in a blind rage. All three of them scattered, Arashi and Raijin jumping out of the way while Astrid flapped upwards and sent another Razor Leaf downwards. Arashi spit a Water Pulse, but the watery stream only served to fan the flames of the Primeape's Rage. Astrid dove down to deliver a Pluck, but at the same time her beak made contact with the furious dungeon-dweller, its fist balled up and pounded into her side.

"_Agh-!_" the Dartrix squeaked.

"Oh, sheesh!" Arashi cried in surprise.

The Primeape fell limp on the ground, but one trunk of the dungeon wall found itself with an indent shaped like a sprawled-out Dartrix.

"Nnnngh…!" Astrid groaned, blinking.

"Are you alright?!" Raijin cried, darting over.

Her feathers ruffled out, and she slumped down back to the grass. "_That_ was terrible…" she replied flatly, drawing her wings back in. "… D-don't get punched."

**Dusky Grotto 2F**

"That's _not_ a Grass-type? But it literally has leaves," Raijin inquired incredulously, studying the Sudowoodo blocking the only corridor in the room.

"It pretends to be a tree so you won't use Water-type attacks against it," Arashi explained, "It's actually got a rocky body."

"Hold on; let me get this straight," the Xurkitree said, crossing his arms and still staring at the Sudowoodo, "So it's a Rock-type that hates water, and in order to avoid getting wet, it pretends to be a tree… something that, at least on _this_ world, _likes_ getting watered. Is that right?"

"Yeah, that's right," the Frogadier nonchalantly confirmed.

Astrid gave her partner an odd look, not too convinced herself. "Are you _sure_ it's not so a passerby would hit it with, say, a Razor Leaf or Water Pulse since they'd think those moves aren't very effective? They don't camouflage themselves for no reason…"

Arashi shrugged, not too concerned, but Raijin eased up.

"_That_ makes sense," Raijin concurred. "Duly noted- Sudowoodo aren't Grass-types."

The Sudowoodo wasn't contesting it one way or another, merely standing there as still as could be with its arms poised like branches. It didn't seem to mind their presence at all, perhaps taking their inaction against it as an indication that its disguise was working, for it appeared to be smiling at least somewhat peacefully. However, why it chose the middle of a leafy hallway's opening to stand perfectly still in was anyone's guess- it probably would've been much more at home along the outer walls if it was intending to blend in.

Nonetheless, the Imitation Pokémon was shortly showing some sign of life when faced with a Water Pulse from Arashi, its nonchalant smile turning dismayed as its arms lowered and it scurried to the side. The fact that it was out of their way was fine enough for Astrid, but the rocky one was apparently upset at having its cover blown and instead raised one arm up while darting closer. Raijin was sure to give Astrid and Arashi some space, and the Dartrix took to the air while the Frogadier quickly scrambled out of the path of a Wood Hammer.

"Yiah! _That_ was close!" Arashi cried, awkwardly dismayed. "You must _really_ not like water!"

A rather ugly crater was left in the ground where Arashi had been moments prior, the Sudowoodo letting out a frustrated cry as it left such.

It didn't appear to like Astrid's Razor Leaf either, for when her flurry of leaves rained down on it, it glared at her next. A few glowing orbs of whitish energy formed in the air around it, which then in turn formed into sharpened, arrowhead-like stones… and flew at the Dartrix.

"_Ah-!_" Astrid cried in dismay, trying to angle herself to let most of the Stone Edge fly past.

Most of it did fly past her and into the wall behind her, but a patch of feathers and a little trickle of blood fell to the ground when one of the rocky shards grazed her wing. She didn't pay it any mind and instead sent another Razor Leaf, which the Sudowoodo held up its hands at in an attempt to lessen the damage. Their target stamped its feet on the ground in vexation, and when it did, several large rock slabs shot out of the ground around Arashi and closed in.

"Oh, come on! The Drednaws were bad enough for this!" the Frogadier protested of the Rock Tomb.

"Are you okay?" Raijin called, glancing at the entrapped one.

"I'm alright, just stuck…!" was the answer.

A Hammer Arm pounded into the rocks next, shattering them but also eliciting a pained gasp from Arashi at the force channeled. Still, another watery burst to the Sudowoodo's face was enough to make it faint.

"_That's_ troubling…" Raijin's voice trailed off as he gave a glance to the sharpened rocks jabbing into the walls and the Wood Hammer crater.

Astrid let out a slightly tired breath, glancing at their downed target. "Seems like you just can't trust anything that smiles in a dungeon…"

Arashi chuckled. "You know, you're not wrong!"

Nonetheless, they stepped over the motionless dungeon-dweller and went back to their venturing.

**Dusky Grotto 5F**

Ordinarily, something singing or making an intonation wouldn't have been much of a concern; however...

"Urgh, what is that sound…?" Arashi mused, looking around uncertainly.

It certainly wasn't anything they were expecting, but from someplace else on the floor, an odd-sounding melody wafted through the air that sounded somewhat like a whistle. It wasn't _singing_, and it didn't sound like a dungeon-dweller's vocalization, but it put them on edge.

Astrid's eyes scanned every possible corner of the room as they ventured through it for any trace of its source, but the floor was quiet and peaceful otherwise. Nothing around them stirred- or at least, if it did, they couldn't see it.

Raijin's fingers went to tapping each other and he shrank up just a bit. "I don't like it…" his voice trailed off uncertainly.

"If it's some sort of trap, we're not falling into it," Astrid brushed it off, still staying alert. "We might not be alone here, after all."

It stopped, but they still kept their guard up.

A smallish piece of a tree limb sat on the ground seemingly ripped off of a larger branch, and a quick glance upwards revealed its source- a similarly thrashed one overhead. The Primeape that had caused it was thankfully nowhere to be found. Something caught Astrid's eye, though- some curved yellowish fruits growing in a small bunch on a greener-tinted tree limb mixed into the ceiling's array of drooping flora.

"Hey," she said, giving Arashi a nudge.

The tip of her wing pointed upwards, and Arashi took note of the banana tree too.

"Hah, figures there would be some Primeape hanging out here if one of their favorite foods grew here!" the Frogadier mused cheerfully.

A Razor Leaf sliced two of them down and Arashi went jumping up to collect them before they hit the ground, then stowed them in the bag.

"Is that a berry?" Raijin asked, studying them.

Arashi giggled. "No, a banana is a fruit! Er-! Berries are also fruits, but this kind is purely food, and eating it won't give you any benefits outside of making you not hungry."

"Ah…" Raijin took it in.

"And I'm glad we found them, because I think I'll be biting into one soon," Astrid remarked, then casting the Xurkitree a glance, "I'm guessing you don't get hungry…?"

Raijin shook his head. "That also falls under the 'recharging' category."

The Frogadier giggled, shooting the Beast a glance too. "Lucky!"

If a living mass of wires could chuckle, Raijin did. "I guess so."

The odd whistling song resumed for a short bit when they resumed their trek, setting them on edge and Astrid's eyes narrowing while scanning every nook and cranny. It seemed to be getting louder, but still, the source eluded them… at least, until they stepped into another room and saw a Nuzleaf sitting on a log with a small leaf in its hand that it used for a whistle, while a Duskull floated happily next to it listening to its song. Both of the wild ones perked up the moment they set foot in the room, and the Duskull quickly turned to face them with an ethereal growl. Raijin held up his arms to cover his head, but Astrid and Arashi couldn't figure out what the gesture was for.

Nonetheless, an Ominous Wind struck out at both the Duskull and Nuzleaf, but they didn't seem too bothered, which certainly puzzled the Dartrix.

"Hey! Cut it out!" the Nuzleaf seemed to say, but it was very clearly using Arashi's voice.

"What?!" Astrid exclaimed, even more puzzled. "Why are you talking like that?!"

She didn't get an answer, but that was fine, if completely unexpected- she'd only attack the unfazed Duskull if the Nuzleaf was capable of being reasoned with. A barrage of sharpened leaves filled the air heading for their ghostly company, but even more strangely, the Nuzleaf opened its mouth and spit a Water Pulse at her.

"H-huh?!" the Dartrix exclaimed.

However, a blinding Dazzling Gleam emanated from behind her that made her shut her eyes tightly, and when she opened them next, both the Duskull and Nuzleaf were motionless on the ground. She blinked, utterly baffled, and glanced to her two comrades- Arashi likewise wore a confused expression while Raijin didn't seem particularly bothered.

"S-sorry, I know you said not to fight much," the Beast said meekly, "That Duskull used Confuse Ray, and you and Arashi started attacking each other…"

That explanation made far more sense than a dungeon-dweller using impossible attacks and speaking with a comrade's voice.

"So that's why that Duskull started using your voice!" Arashi exclaimed, looking relieved. "Sorry, Astrid! I totally thought I was going nuts for a second!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you either," the Dartrix said to her partner, then looking to Raijin, "And you were fine; do what you think you gotta do."

Arashi giggled. "You have your own judgment; use it!"

Raijin nodded. "R-right."

**Dusky Grotto 7F**

A few Trevenants threw a fit at them for encroaching on their territory and a few Duskulls peeked out from the surroundings and shadows to cause trouble, while the occasional Sudowoodo could be noticed harmlessly imitating a tree provided nothing got too close to it. The dungeon-dwellers seemed to be the only ones in the grotto, for if any of Salem's associates were out prowling, they had run across none and seen no traces left.

However, while trailing through one room, something did catch their attention- a rather loud crash from another room adjacent to theirs, followed by a yelping Poochyena frantically running out of a corridor and into another one, disregarding them completely. All three of them were on guard instantly.

"That better have been a Primeape being pissed and not a Mega Punch or a First Impression," Astrid dismally mused, holding her wings out a bit.

"If it _is_ one of Salem's subordinates, you can leave them to me," Raijin said, a few sparks running down his limbs.

"Oh, c'mon, what're the odds of that?" Arashi wasn't quite certain.

Astrid wasn't sure what those odds were, nor did she particularly care to find out, but it turned out Arashi was right when a screeching Primeape came thundering down the corridor with its swinging fists in the air.

"See?!" Arashi exclaimed with a grin.

"Just don't get punched!" Astrid reiterated, sending a Razor Leaf right away, "It _sucks!_"

Neither one of them were intent on it, but the Primeape certainly wanted to clobber _something_ and came charging over with cries of wrath. Astrid's leaves jabbed into it, but that didn't dissuade its rampage at all. It turned on the Dartrix first, Karate Chopping down at her, but Astrid gave a flap of her wings to get out of the way and Plucked the fist closest to her. Arashi spit a Water Pulse, and the raging one turned on him next, unleashing a flurry of Fury Swipes while Astrid sent another leaf barrage into its back.

"These ones don't seem particularly smart," Raijin noted.

"When they're angry, they just start swinging at anything they see," Arashi clarified, doing his best to jump out of the way and sending another watery stream.

The Primeape's fist connected and a pained cry came from Arashi, but Astrid rushing up behind the Primeape and Plucking it again made its rampage cease.

Astrid gave it a glance, fluffing out for a moment. "Must be really nice to live here with _those_ ones," she remarked flatly.

Arashi laughed, slipping the bag off. "Hey, while we're _not_ getting ambushed by one, can we take a snack break?"

The Dartrix perked up and skittered closer. "Not a bad idea; I'm starting to notice it too."

"You are…? I suppose I should recharge while we're at it," Raijin mused.

While Astrid and Arashi fished out the apple and chestnut to munch on, the Xurkitree took a very different posture- all of his limbs touching the ground to give a conical formation, the ends of them slightly buried in the dirt. 'Recharging' seemed about as accurate of a term as it could get, for the metallic prongs seemed to literally plug into the earth. Astrid blinked, studying Raijin just a bit while peeling off the chestnut's spiky shell.

Arashi took a bite of the apple and couldn't help but muse, "… Wow, you look really different when you're not walking around."

"Believe it or not, where I come from, this is actually a half-decent plant impersonation," Raijin nonchalantly noted.

Astrid was certainly intrigued as to what plants looked like where Raijin came from, seeing as the Xurkitree certainly didn't resemble anything she could envision coming out of the ground, but decided against asking for any sort of description. Neither she nor her comrade likely would've been able to make much sense of it without seeing it themselves- she certainly had trouble making sense of _just_ Raijin himself already, never mind his extradimensional homeworld.

Nonetheless, a spiky shell and an apple core were left behind when they went back to trekking, still keeping an eye out for any angry simians or flustered ghosts.

**Dusky Grotto 10F**

"Hey! Lucky us!" Arashi cried, running over to several sparkling coins haphazardly scattered at the base of a shoot.

Indeed, they were hard not to notice- the gold sheen contrasted fairly sharply with the dark soil and deep green grass making up the dungeon floor. Raijin studied it too.

"Hm?" Astrid inquired, scurrying closer, "Should we really be touching that? What if it belongs to someone else?"

"Nah, we're fine!" her partner brushed it off, picking them up and looking it over. "We haven't found money in a dungeon yet, but when you do, it's fair game- if you faint or otherwise lose your items, it's up to you to reclaim them before anyone else comes across them. The dungeons tend to scatter things lost in them around, so those odds are pretty small and you may as well count it part of the dungeon at that point."

Astrid nodded- it sounded reasonable. "So someone probably fainted and dropped it, then? And they aren't coming to get it back?"

"Exactly," Arashi answered, then opening the bag up and stowing it away, "It's around 150, so we've got almost 500 in our stash total. If we're stuck in these dungeons for a while, that could come in handy if we run into a roving Kecleon Shop, aha!"

She wasn't disagreeing, and if it was fair game, she wasn't turning it down. If Kecleon was so fearsome, she certainly wouldn't turn down running into one of them too in the event that Salem's cronies were following them in some way or another. (Yet, at the same time, the thought of Kecelon's fabled strength made her a bit uneasy, for everyone else made it sound nothing short of god-like, and being in the midst of it perhaps _wasn't _the best idea.)

"I feel sorry for whoever dropped it; the feral ones here don't seem like the nicest ones to faint to," Raijin said haplessly.

"If I'm gonna faint, I'd take getting punched by a Raging Primeape over getting Wood Hammered by a Sudowoodo, but that's probably just me," Arashi jested.

There wasn't anything to see amid the drooping branches and smallish shoots, so on they went, keeping watch for any upset occupants and listening for a mischievous Nuzleaf trying to set them on edge.

"There's supposed to be more than one dungeon in these parts, right?" Astrid inquired, glancing back at her partner.

"Yep," Arashi answered, "I'm not sure how many, though- just that you'd have to know the territory well to avoid them."

She nodded, turning her head forward again. "Hopefully we won't have to worry too much by the time we get to the other side…"

"Normally I wouldn't worry about battling an ordinary Delphox, but if it's Salem we're talking about…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

Arashi sighed a bit, still smiling but getting slightly drooping eyes. "I know Mom and Dad are strong, so they're probably fine, but sheesh… Her and her underlings are just the worst…"

"I'm glad _your_ world can see that, at least," the Xurkitree remarked.

The sound of growling and snapping jaws alerted them to another presence, and on looking to the source, it was revealed as a snarling Mightyena clawing at the ground in the room before them as if to taunt them.

"Good afternoon to you, too," Arashi sarcastically jested.

It didn't give Arashi's greeting any consideration and instead Snarled loudly at them, the force of the sound waves making all three of the Starstorm group recoil slightly. It rushed at them with snapping jaws, aiming to Bite Astrid as the closest target, but a Quick Attack from Arashi knocked it off course and gave the Dartrix plenty of time to hit it with a Razor Leaf. However, with the Frogadier still closer, its fangs began to spark, and Arashi quickly had to leap back to avoid a Thunder Fang.

"Oh, jeez!" Arashi cried, startled but still smiling.

"This one has its bases covered," Raijin mused.

Astrid dove down to Pluck it, but its fangs ceased to spark and instead became shrouded in fire much to her dismay. Arashi spit a Water Pulse at the Mightyena's mouth on seeing it and succeeded in dousing the flames, but Astrid couldn't quite avoid it altogether in time and found her wing with a set of teeth latched onto it.

"_Aaaagh!_" she yelped, flinching. "_Definitely_ got its bases covered…!"

"Hey! Let go!" Arashi called, rushing out in a Quick Attack again.

Thankfully, the Mightyena turned loose and Astrid sent a flurry of sharp leaves, which yet again made the wild one Snarl.

"This one's not playing around!" Arashi exclaimed.

"A-are you guys alright…?" Raijin inquired, touching his fingers together again.

Skittering backwards out of its reach, Astrid called, "We're fine!"

A Water Pulse and a Razor Leaf downed it, the Mightyena growling one last time as it fell limp on the ground. The Dartrix brushed herself off with her better-feeling wing, carefully preening a few damaged feathers back into place over her broken skin.

"Well, looks like I got the fangs this time," she mused haplessly, giving her partner a somewhat playful glance.

The Frogadier giggled. "Aren't you lucky!"

She wasn't so sure about 'lucky,' but she wasn't protesting it. A few red trickles dripped out from under her feathers, but she left them alone. "C'mon, hopefully we don't see more of those."

And it certainly appeared they wouldn't, for quite shortly, the stairs were visible from the closest corridor and they were taking them.

However, instead of another room akin to the dungeon, they found themselves back in the thick of the forest, no tree walls or tunnels in sight…

"Really? Only ten floors?" Arashi mused, peeking around. "Somehow I figured there would be more…"

"Well, we don't know this terrain, so-" Astrid began to reply, but quickly stopped.

Some of the underbrush rustled and the sound of voices graced their senses.

"C'mon! We can't jack around!"

"Do you think they're still here?!"

"Hold on, you two! I'm stuck!"

There were three distinct ones, none of which were ringing a very clear bell. The Starstorm trio exchanged glances, and before anyone else, Raijin's limbs were crackling with electricity with a Discharge aimed at the source of the sounds. Astrid and Arashi followed suit, the Dartrix with her wings slightly spread and Arashi crouched to spring. If it was any of Salem's cronies looking for a fight, they'd give them one, for it seemed that running would be fruitless.

However, the figure that did come emerging first from the other side of a bush caught Astrid and Arashi off guard slightly- a Scrafty with a tiny crest, clearly bearing a few battle scars. An Azumarill followed, then an Audino, the latter stumbling a bit with the remnants of a vine wrapped around one leg and a bag across his back.

Astrid paused, blinking a bit in surprise at two of the three present, and immediately stood down. Arashi, however, made a few gasping sounds… and promptly fainted.

Raijin, on the other hand, didn't react the same. "Not today," he said flatly, the nest of lightning bolts crackling.

As soon as they saw the bolts, a Light Screen went up about their new company, and the Scrafty and Azumarill instantly prepared to take the offensive too.

Astrid, however, quickly jumped in front of the Xurkitree, crying, "Raijin! No!"

The Beast seemed confused but didn't fire the attack, instead protesting, "Really, Astrid?! You should know better by now! Don't make this easy for them!"

"I _do_ know better!" the Dartrix protested back, not budging, "Remember what Arashi was saying earlier?! Like, when we first left the cliffs?!"

It only took a few moments for the bolts to dissipate and the one aiming them to twitch with a metallic gasp, shrinking up shyly. "Ah-! Never mind! S-sorry!"

Astrid gave a quick look to her fainted partner and rolled her eyes, but nonetheless turned around to look at the others in the forest. A certain Scrafty eased up and started getting a grin, and Rozen's Light Screen faded. Their own aquatic company relaxed too.

Rush laughed, crossing his arms. "A'ight, hold up," he remarked, looking them over, "A Dartrix and Frogadier, and y'all are throwing out the names Astrid and Arashi. Don't tell me it's you again!"

"And this one has fainted again," Rozen noted of the Frogadier, scurrying over to him, "Poor thing has been in bad shape both times I've seen him."

Astrid certainly knew better that no, her partner wasn't in bad shape at all, but refrained from mentioning such. Raijin studied them, especially the Audino as he gave Arashi a Heal Pulse, but didn't make a sound.

The Azumarill, however, chuckled, softening up. "Hey! I've heard about you two, then!"

"I-it's us," Astrid replied softly, fluffing out a bit uncertainly, "A-and th-this is-"

"The fuck are _you?!_" Rush exclaimed, turning his attention to the Xurkitree, "After what I heard, I'd be inclined to beat the everloving _hell_ out of you, but if this little pipsqueak is tellin' ya what to do, I don't guess I gotta!"

Astrid fluffed out even more at being called a 'pipsqueak' again, but didn't bother voicing her opinion on such.

Raijin shrank up some more, sticking his arms behind his back shyly. "I-I can explain…"

"Th-that's Raijin," Astrid quickly cut in, "H-he's on our team now. A-and there's a _lot_ he can explain, a-actually…"

Three sets of eyes fell on them, all of them shocked.

"Hold up," Rush laughed, studying her incredulously, "Ain't this the asshat that attacked you? I remember that conversation, and you were actin' terrified!"

"Y-yes, that was me," Raijin said quickly, "And there's an explanation for that too…"

Rush still seemed incredulous, but didn't push the issue further. He looked back to Astrid and inquired, "A'ight then, Li'l-li'l Green, I'll take your word. But, since you're comin' from Tranquil Town, lemme ask ya somethin' else- the hell's with that giant cloud of smoke? It's comin' from your direction, and we got word from one of our other members that the damned forest was on fire."

She was caught off guard just a bit again, and tried to find the right words to express the happenings around the town outskirts, but hardly managed to get out an 'um' or 'er' without changing the sentence in her head again.

At that moment, however, Arashi jumped up again, awake and active, a huge grin on his face. "Kyah! What happened?! I'm not dreaming or dead, am I?!"

Rozen gave him a gentle pat, chuckling a bit at his sudden outburst. "No, dear, you are very much alive. Are you alright?"

The Dartrix could easily tell her friend was trying not to burst into excited cheers or jump for joy, for his eyes practically bulged out of his head and his grin was as wide as it could possibly go.

"Y-yeah! I'm _great_! Absolutely fantastic!" Arashi affirmed, trying to restrain his sheer enthusiasm, then looking around, "You haven't seen Salem or any of Salem's underlings, have you?! We're kinda on the run from her at the moment!"

Yet again, three surprised glances fell on them.

"So it _was_ Salem!" the Azumarill exclaimed, her tail wagging. "Wow! She came close this time!"

Rush laughed again, pounding one fist into his other palm. "Captain of the Bitch Brigade decided to wave her wand, huh?! Ehehe, I was hopin' so! I'd _love_ to throw down with that royal jackass!"

Both of Rush's comrades haplessly shook their heads at his mannerisms, and Raijin too seemed a bit timid.

Nonetheless, the Scrafty quieted down and looked over the Starstorm trio. "A'ight, so you're on the run from her, ya say?"

All three of them nodded.

"_That's_ gotta suck!" Rush half-laughed and half-shouted, "Then in that case, Rozen, Big Blue, fuck our mission 'cause we know what went down now! These three are comin' with us!"

At that, Arashi's eyes went bulging out of his head again and he started making a few gasping sounds, while Raijin and Astrid perked up with intrigue. They had definitely intended to go seeking them out, but… one way or another, their meeting was seeming more and more convenient.

"Oooh! We get visitors!" the Azumarill cheered, clapping her hands and looking happy at the thought. "That's always fun!"

"Yup, so no Surfing on crazy Fennekin forms today; we better bolt," Rush affirmed, then looking back at the Starstorm trio, "Whatcha say? The Crossroads are a pretty safe place to be, and if that wily asshat shows up, we'll give her hell! We can't just leave two pipsqueaks and whatever the hell Raijin is alone with Salem lookin' for ya! Then ya can tell us what gives!"

Arashi looked like he was about to faint again, but a nudge from Astrid kept him from doing so.

"Th-that'd be great," said the Dartrix.

Rush laughed, crossing his arms and turning back the way they'd come. "Then c'mon! We'll navigate around the dungeons to get there faster! Don't get lost!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rush was setting off and motioning for them to follow along. With another glance shared among them (and a few more happy gasping sounds from Arashi), the Starstorm trio wasn't wasting time in trailing after Rush's group too.


	25. Chapter 25: The Crossroads and Coalition

"Y'all just came out of Dusky Grotto, yeah?" Rush inquired, throwing a stray branch poking out aside. "The little pipsqueaks in there just _love_ pissin' everyone off; too bad they ain't a very strong bunch."

'Dusky Grotto' certainly seemed like an apt name, and indeed, most of the dungeon-dwellers seemed like ones that the Scrafty would deem 'pipsqueaks.'

"Yeah! It was way shorter than I was expecting, but hey!" Arashi happily answered.

Rush laughed. "Y'all ain't seen Forsaken Crater way up north. Only ten floors, but a hell of a lot of teams don't make it past the first. Dusky Grotto is one of the milder ones around these parts, but if you're one of those 'Mon like Scyther or Aegislash that can cut trees down, those damned Trevenants will give ya hell!"

The Trevenants, or any of the occupants, hadn't seemed happy with visitors as it was.

"But y'know, I've been hearin' a _lot_ about you little pipsqueaks," the Scrafty remarked, smirking and giving both the Dartrix and Frogadier a glance, then to Raijin, "But not so much _you_, big guy. Guess we'll all just have to sit down and get to know each other some more, ehehe!"

Arashi looked like he wanted to squeal and dance around in excitement at the prospect, but by some miracle, he was keeping his unbridled glee hidden quite well. Astrid was surprised he wasn't going and fainting again- he definitely looked like it was within the realm of possibility. Perhaps him having excitement was akin to her eating a Blast Seed and having to expel the flames from her mouth, the Dartrix wondered, but of course, turning into a crazed fanboy in front of his idols probably wouldn't be the best idea if joining their group was the goal.

Some of the trees to their east looked as though they too were growing suspiciously close together, which likely indicated another dungeon someplace off in that direction. Given that Rush was steering clear of it, Astrid catalogued that piece of information in her mind too.

"I haven't had the chance to introduce myself to you, speaking of getting to know each other," said the Azumarill, smiling. "I'm Lazuli, but you can also call me 'Big Blue' if you want!"

"Nice to meet you, Big Blue!" Arashi instantly said with a smile.

"M-hm…" Astrid shyly concurred with a nod.

"You're a Water-type, right?" Raijin inquired, studying her.

Lazuli chuckled. "Water and Fairy, actually! I'm gonna assume you're Electric, yeah? I've never seen your species before!"

"R-right, I'm an Electric-type," the Xurkitree confirmed.

"Speaking of which," Rozen chimed in, giving Raijin a look, "What _is_ your species? Under any other circumstances, I'd be more inclined to believe you were a mass of cables being possessed by a Rotom."

If a mass of cables could blush, Raijin would've been. "I-I'm a Xurkitree. We're not native to this world."

"Hah, then ain't we lucky," Rush laughed, "Raijin the Xurkitree, a zappy alien. That's fancy as _hell_, ehehe!"

"It _is_ quite interesting," Rozen thoughtfully concurred, getting a small smile.

Perhaps it was, but Raijin didn't seem sure what to think of the 'zappy alien' label and shrank up a bit.

Nonetheless, as they made their way back, it did become clear that there were more dungeons than Dusky Grotto, for the Coalition members took care to point each of them out as they passed- Withered Ridge to their east and Whispering Lowlands to the west. Salem's flames hadn't scorched any of the vicinity they trekked through, which the Starstorm trio in particular was thankful for but their company didn't seem all that concerned one way or another. Still, what wild ones they did come across acted very frightened, probably having run away from her wild blaze in a frenzy. They certainly weren't keen on attacking, that was for sure.

If Rush, Rozen, and Lazuli hadn't been there to show the way, the Starstorm trio likely would've gotten lost in more than just dungeons, for the surroundings all looked nearly identical. Every direction was another mass of trees, another tangle of underbrush, another faint ray of sunlight drifting down through the canopy. Surely, someone would've had to traverse it many times to get a feel of what direction all the varying locations were in. Still, navigating around all the dungeons instead of going through them definitely cut down on the travel time, and thankfully, none of Salem's underlings showed themselves. It seemed they'd manage to evade her… for the time being, at least.

The forest started becoming sparse and thinning out, and once it did, they found themselves on another sandy pathway akin to the one leading into and out of Tranquil Town, but the surroundings were quite different. The craggy cliffs, rather than being off in the background, were almost everywhere, and the ground was covered in flat stones apparently weathered away by frequent traversing over them. Not too far in the distance, just after an ornate wooden bridge over a river-filled crevice, was a sprawling town hewn into the rocks, abuzz with a myriad of figures strolling, crawling, and flying about over the colorful rooftops that were impossible to ignore. It was quite unlike Tranquil Town, for rather than the rocky heights being further out of reach and everything seeming rather serene, this location seemed to outright try to displace the crags it took up in and deliberately eschewed the much more welcoming green grasslands off in the distance, even if more pathways lead out to them. A 'craggy crossroad' it was indeed.

"A'ight, y'all, welcome to the Crossroads," Rush said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "You ain't gotta worry about Salem or anyone else here, you can be damn sure. This place is a hub for expedition teams, and there's a hell of a lot of strong ones that have their bases here, us included. It'd be a dumbass move to go attacking this joint."

Arashi's eyes glittered at the description, while Astrid and Raijin were merely relieved.

As they were approaching, a Zoroark and Girafarig went bustling past towards the forest behind them, casting each other some exasperated looks.

"She _fainted_ in _Dusky Grotto?_" the Girafarig inquired incredulously. "Man, your little sis is a piece of work!"

"Tell me about it!" the Zoroark said haplessly, throwing his arms out to the side. "Every time I tell her not to go cuddling wild Poochyena, she just has to nuzzle right up to them!"

Astrid, Arashi, and Raijin all exchanged some awkwardly knowing looks of just where their gold coins had come from, while Rush and Lazuli couldn't help but giggle once the ones running off to the dungeon were out of earshot. Rozen gave them both a nudge to shut them up, rolling his eyes.

Once they reached the town perimeter, there were quite a few Pokémon chattering to each other and going about their business, but one in particular caught their attention. The tattered cloak and witch's hat might have given the impression of a larger-than-life Mismagius from behind, but the form of a Delphox met them when the wearer of such turned around.

"_No!_" Astrid breathed, her eyes going wide and feathers fluffing out.

"Are you kidding?!" Arashi fussed, likewise looking startled.

Raijin didn't say anything, only formed a few sparking bolts in his hands.

However, the Coalition members noticed their adverse reactions, but didn't seem concerned at all. The Delphox apparently did too, for her gaze instantly fell on them.

"Hey! Don't freak out; it's not Salem!" Lazuli quickly piped up, giving them a reassuring gaze, "That's Delphi! She's been here longer than Salem's been causing trouble; you've got nothing to worry about!"

The Delphox in question started smiling, studying them and taking a few steps closer. Astrid studied her in return, as did her two comrades, not fully ready to drop their guard, but one thing did stick out that assuaged them slightly- there was no purple tint to her eyes like Salem.

"R-really?" Raijin was still skeptical, not standing down quite yet.

Delphi, however, giggled. "Oh, and who do we have here? New to the town, I see.~"

Her voice was completely different, too- it wasn't dripping with haughty, aggressive flippancy, but rather sounded amiable and flirtatious. Her smile wasn't a blatantly sadistic one, either. That alone gave them more reassurance.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to cause your impending demise!" she laughed. "I might be in the same evolutionary family as that deplorable creature, but rest assured, I don't share in her mayhem.~"

That calmed them more.

"Yeeeaaaaaah, you ain't gotta worry about Delphi; she's part of another team and runs a fortune-telling shop," Rush brushed it off, looking amused. "Hah, I just _love_ seein' the faces of new 'Mon when they stumble across her, ehehe!"

Rozen gave the Scrafty a hapless look, rolling his eyes. "Oh, you always act out at the most inappropriate of times."

Rush wasn't denying such, and only grinned even more. The new ones in question, though, were sufficiently assuaged and dropped their guard, softening up.

Delphi chuckled. "Oh, yes, you should come visit me at Soul Aria sometime. I'd love to read you.~"

Astrid blinked, but Arashi perked up at the mention and gave an excited glance to his comrades. "Oooh, fortune-telling?! You guys! Maybe we should!"

"Another time, Li'l Blue," Rush quickly cut him off, giving the Frogadier a poke. "Y'all can go do celestial shenanigans and all that after ya get settled in. I can't just turn ya loose so easily; y'all gotta tell us what the hell is up with Salem chasin' ya!"

That much was agreeable, and Astrid and Raijin definitely had no protestations. Again they were trailing after the Scrafty, trying to stay close while weaving through the busy streets paved with reddish and orange-tinted stones. An Altaria gave a downcast Meganium a pat with its fluffy wings, and a Gliscor and Simisage seemed to be having an argument while a Floette, Ribombee, and Corvisquire looked on with amusement. The buildings were rather bright and colorful, even those carved from subdued brownish-colored wood or hewn from the greyish rocks, for vibrant hues of magenta, orange, green, and blue colored the doorframes and windows. A few fountains were situated in the middle of several street intersections, and in a larger one, a Barboach carried on a conversation with a Persian laying on the edge. A small wheeled basket sat next to the fountain, which Astrid assumed was for transporting the aquatic one around if it desired to go someplace else. Some of the buildings were larger than others, and of those that were, most had signs on their eaves or beside the doors. 'The GNARLIEST Brigade!' was haphazardly painted on one along with what looked like a few claw scratches slashed into the wood next to the text, and on another was a very fanciful banner with ribbons and roses bearing the name 'Team Sweetheart.'

A few of the inhabitants gave Raijin a surprised glance, but most didn't even seem to question the otherworldly creature being present. Perhaps strange things weren't so strange in this town, or the occupants merely couldn't be bothered to pay it much mind.

Nonetheless, when they came upon a rather big grey stone-carved flat-roofed structure with a crimson curtain door and a simple sign reading 'EXPEDITION COALITION' over it, along with the same dark red tinting the frames on the rounded front windows, they knew they'd arrived at their destination.

"A'ight, you lot, this is HQ," Rush said, motioning at the building. "It ain't the fanciest HQ here, but I don't give a damn about fancy near as much as I give a damn about whooping ass."

Rozen shook his head again at the Scrafty's coarse musings.

Whether it was fancy or not, Arashi seemed about ready to faint again at the sight of it, and Astrid gave him a nudge to keep him from doing so. Raijin merely studied it.

"YO, DREN!" Rush hollered, looking up at the roof.

The large, draconic head of a Salamence peeked up and peered down at them, the rest of the dragon apparently perched on some floor they couldn't quite see from the ground.

"Yes?" the Salamence replied calmly, looking over the three unfamiliar figures. "Do we have company?"

"Hell yeah, we do!" Rush hollered back, "Y'know those little pipsqueaks and that wired weirdo?! This is them! They're _all_ runnin' from Salem, apparently!"

"… Oh?"

A few mighty wing flaps resulted from the Salamence jumping down and landing closely, which nearly threatened to blow away the Dartrix and Frogadier had they not braced themselves.

"This is Dren; he's our guard," Rush noted, motioning at the dragon. "Don't let that fool ya, though- he's mainly here to keep anyone wanting to be an asshat away, not go and chase said asshats off unless both me and Adnea ain't here."

And surely he was good at that, Astrid figured- Dren dwarfed just about all of them, save for only Raijin who was taller, and gave off an air of intimidation. It didn't take any effort to deduce that he must've been powerful; the wings flaps alone stirred up quite a breeze even without an attack being at play. Astrid quickly noticed something else that would've been a deterrent to just about anyone else seeking to cause trouble, for a glinting sphere with two swirls of red and blue in the center hung around Dren's neck- a Salamencite. Her eyes went slightly wide at the sight of it, but she tried not to stare.

Arashi, however, obviously noticed it too, for his eyes went wide with excitement and he exclaimed fairly quickly, "Whoa, is that Salamencite?! Mega Stones are _insanely_ hard to find! That is _impressive_, aha!"

Dren chuckled, his tail reaching around and giving Arashi a pat on the head. "Indeed it is. It is exorbitantly rare that I make use of it, but merely flashing it to a troublemaker is typically enough to make them stand down. I tend to become far more akin to the subjects of these 'crazy' incidents when I activate it, so I elect not to unless absolutely necessary."

Though Dren seemed like a fearsome creature, his voice was rather soft and gentle as if comforting a baby Bounsweet lost in a forest of hungry avians. Yet still, somehow, Astrid couldn't help but think of the phrase 'the blood-soaked crescent' when imagining a Mega Salamence, but couldn't quite place where such was coming from. She didn't particularly want to find out, either- it sounded horrific.

Arashi, though, was still entranced. "That's so cooooool…!"

Dren gave him another pat, then gave one to Astrid, who couldn't help but fluff out just a bit at the gesture on account of even the tip of Dren's tail dwarfing her.

"And I know you must be Astrid," the Salamence said gently, his tail going back. He looked to the Beast next. "But I am not very familiar with _you_. May I ask your name?"

"Rai-" the Beast started.

"_Okay, what the hell?!_"

A rather annoyed-sounding voice suddenly piped up, the source of which was quickly found to be a Fletchinder dashing out of HQ's door with frustrated eyes, looking ready to tear into someone if they got too close. His eyes narrowed on the newcomers as if planning to attack, but he did not and only tilted his head to the side.

"Sheesh, I hear all this commotion and it's just two worthless little runts and… some abomination," the fiery avian remarked flippantly, glaring at them. "If we were in the wild, I'd roast the lot of you and you'd be praying to Kyogre for rain!"

At that, he turned around and marched right back inside without another word, only a small grunt of disdain. Lazuli sighed haplessly and Rozen shook his head while Rush merely smirked mischievously.

"No need to be an ass to _everyone_, Cinder!" the Scrafty called.

"Go to hell!" was the response hollered back from behind the door.

The Starstorm trio wasn't quite sure what to make of the Fletchinder's antics. Arashi blinked, while Astrid and Raijin both shrank up uncertainly. Lazuli gave the two smaller ones a pat, giggling haplessly.

"Don't mind Cinder; he's an ass," Rush brushed it off.

"He does that to literally everyone," Lazuli added.

… At least it wasn't _targeted_, in that case.

Nonetheless, Dren turned back to the Xurkitree. "You were saying?"

"R-Raijin."

"Wonderful," said the Salamence, looking them all over. "Astrid, Arashi, and Raijin. You all must be quite special."

Two of the ones in question started blushing, and if the Beast was capable of doing so, probably would've been as well.

"They sure are!" Rush laughed, then motioning them inside, "C'mon!"

They followed Rush, while Dren gave another mighty flap and resumed his position on the roof. Wherever Cinder had scurried off to, they had no idea, for they could see him nowhere in sight. There was a rather large center room that met them, still the same greyish hues as the outside, with a rather large map plastered to the center of the wall with plenty of notes jotted down and markings made on it. There was one larger hallway on the left that opened into a much larger room with a big table in the center, likely the kitchen judging by the jars and cabinets lining the shelves and countertops of it, and another hallway to the right with what appeared to be another big room judging by the size of the blue curtain door covering the entrance, but of course, they could not see in. What appeared to be a staircase leading to a basement was next to the map, for the area beyond the opening was shrouded in blackness. Two more staircases lead to a floor upstairs, where Rush motioned them to follow along while Rozen and Lazuli strolled off elsewhere to attend to their own affairs.

There were a few more curtain doors drawn shut upstairs, but one rather large room opened up in the back center of the floor, where shelves upon shelves of documents and pages were stashed along the walls and some more littered the lone table in the middle. An Orbeetle floated about with her back turned to them, rustling through a few of the stray pages on the shelves while a fanciful quill, glowing a slight purple with the psychic energy controlling it, danced across an empty page in an open book on the table.

"Ah, so you're here," the Orbeetle mused rather simply, shoving a book aside and telepathically arranging a few disordered pages beside it before turning around. "I sensed your presence several miles away."

Her eyes seemed to stare straight through them, and indeed, she probably could see quite a bit more than the average Pokémon with her abilities. Rush obviously didn't care, but all three of the Starstorm trio (the outgoing Frogadier included, even if less so) couldn't help shrinking back a bit under her piercing stare. It wasn't malicious, but merely… strong.

"And that's Adnea, last one on the team you ain't met," Rush noted of the floating one. "Don't tell lies to her, 'cause there ain't no fooling her."

None of them were intending to, to be sure.

"He is right," Adnea mused flatly, floating closer and looking them all over in turn. "But I don't believe I'll have that problem with this bunch. I've already begun documenting what I have seen in your memories, but you three… have a _lot_ to tell me."

Three nods answered her.

"Let's get that out of the way first," Rush declared, plopping down on a leafy chair with his arms behind his head. "Y'all tell us what's up. Astrid, I already know about _you_ bein' a damned human in disguise- and don't ya worry, we ain't told no one that ain't part of the team here, but I'm guessin' there's more at play here."

The Dartrix nodded, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain her strange situation to anyone else.

Nonetheless, they started recounting everything they'd gone over in the cave in the cliffs, Raijin doing most of the explaining about Void's faction and the dealings involving such, while Astrid and Arashi (mostly Arashi) corroborated with their own experiences regarding her underlings. All the while, Adnea's pen floated over its page, furiously scribbling every detail they relayed, even sketching out an accurate but crude representation of a blindingly bright dragon to denote Necrozma's form. The more they went on, Adnea had the same countenance and didn't say a word, but Rush dropped his otherwise relaxed pose for a wide-eyed fist-clenching one at the mention of Salem's abilities and the source thereof, followed by a loud exclamation of "_She wants to do WHAT now?!_" at the mention of Void's true ambitions. Adnea's eyes narrowed, but still, the Orbeetle didn't seem particularly fazed one way or another.

"A'ight, so let me get this straight," Rush said, crossing his arms. "So this bitch Void is off somewhere in Ultra Space, she's tryin' to take the damn place over and _succeeding_, your gods and her faction can't do shit against each other at the moment, so your big boss in charge, Necrozma, got outside help from Salem, who got fucked up and became Void's strongest pawn. And _you_, Raijin, are the only bastard that's got the dirt on 'em."

The Xurkitree nodded, albeit seeming a bit shy at all the profanity. "That's exactly right."

"And _you_," said the Scrafty, looking to Astrid, "are the next in line to go raise hell with 'em."

The Dartrix fluffed out, but she nodded too. "A-apparently so."

Rush let out a heavy sigh, sticking his arms back behind his head and slouching back into the chair again. "… And here I thought I'd seen it all, then _you_ little pipsqueaks and Beast show up. If _this_ don't take the cake for the most insane case I've ever heard, then I don't know what will. But I'm glad ya told us, 'cause I can't ignore that shit now."

Arashi perked up at the Scrafty's words. "So does that mean you'll help us…?"

"Of course it does, Li'l Blue," Rush easily replied, getting a smirk. "Those asshats can't get ahold of your little friend there, now can they? And I ain't gonna sit back when some tyrant wants to ruin the world as we know it. Nah, that'd just be pathetic if I didn't do anything."

That much relieved them.

"But while we're on the subject, we need more information," Adnea said, her pen stopping for a moment. "Raijin, her faction is comprised mostly of Beasts, no?"

"The only ones in the faction that _aren't_ Beasts are Salem and Salem's underlings," Raijin answered. "So… three, unless you want to count her temporaries."

"Well, we're all familiar with Delphox, Charizard, and Golisopod here," the Orbeetle remarked. "I'm _not_ familiar with the inhabitants of Ultra Space, or Ultra Space in general, and I've been doing research for a very long time. Tell us about them, if you will."

Raijin nodded and did so, giving a description of each, their codenames that Void tracked them all with, and their typical roles. All of them present carefully took it in as he described each one.

The Nihilego species, codename UB01, while unfazed by special attacks, couldn't take or dish out physical damage without getting seriously hurt. While Void couldn't exert control over other Nihilegos, Salem could if she toyed with their minds just right, and Salem had no issue in doing so. Thus, though Void had disliked them at first for 'stealing her hosts,' she had come to accept them as emissaries too. They were absolutely to be avoided, even if Void herself wasn't the one facing them, for their poisoning effects weren't easily overcome without serious intervention and could easily turn even the most docile of individuals into violent criminals. Even a tiny dose of their toxin was enough to produce effects.

Buzzwole, codename UB02A, excelled in the physical sense but couldn't take or give special damage. They looked extremely muscular, but their bulging forms were actually the result of stabbing their proboscises into whatever foe was unfortunate enough to be subdued. They flexed their bodies constantly, both in simple fun and to communicate with those around them what they were thinking, which tended to puzzle other Beasts that hadn't quite picked up on the cues yet. Their punches were to be avoided, for very, _very_ little could survive one.

Pheromosa, codename UB02B, could only give but not take damage. Getting only a single hit on one would likely down them, but getting the hit in to do so was the problem, for they moved blindingly fast and hit _hard_. They were easily some of the more problematic Beasts to face, for while they looked beautiful and fragile, hardly anything that crossed them lived to tell about it. Void quite liked them for these attributes.

Raijin was as good of a reference as any for the Xurkitree species, codename UB03. However, it was to be noted that, while some life forms in Ultra Space appeared to be gargantuan Xurkitrees, they were rather just _trees_\- trees that Raijin's species imitated very, _very_ well. Wandering into a sparking, blackened forest would likely end in disaster.

If a Celesteela, codename UB04A, flew overhead, it could likely be assumed that it was a faction guard doing surveillance on the land down below. Their Steel typing prevented them from being poisoned by Void alone, but with Salem in the picture, the power boost afforded to Void and her host made poisoning them a trivial matter. They were far from the best attackers and far from the best defenders, but there was hardly a blindspot to take them down from which made them formidable in their own right. If what looked like a bamboo shoot seemed to be growing in an odd place, it was probably a Celesteela, and avoiding them was best.

While tiny and appearing to be fragile, UB04B, Kartana, was dangerous to merely brush up against. Their Steel-type status made them difficult to subdue at first too, but like the rest, Void eventually took control of them as well. There was hardly a thing they couldn't slash down, be it steel buildings, forests, or even other Beasts if one got too close. It wasn't uncommon to see them with red-stained blades, for the paper-like material forming their appendages didn't turn loose of stains very well.

Even if Void didn't particularly care for the Guzzlord species, codenamed UB05, she made use of them too. They were absolutely to be avoided at all costs, for their voracious appetite for literally _anything_ meant that whatever didn't run the other way would likely never be seen again. If a location, such as the remains of a human village, needed to simply disappear, the Guzzlords would take care of it, and whatever had formerly stood where they tread would be reduced to rubble no later than the end of the day. Void had to give them particular attention on more than one occasion to prevent them from ruining faction territory with their tendencies.

Poipole, UB06, wasn't of much interest until it evolved into Naganadel, UB07. At first, they had been troublesome not only because their Poison typing prevented Void from controlling them, but also because a fair number were companions to the humans that Void targeted and fought back where their non-Beast friends could not. Nonetheless, with Salem's mind-warping intervention, they too fell and became a feared attacking presence, the number of their human companions _quickly_ taking a nosedive as a result.

If a stray stone wall ever appeared somewhere in Ultra Space, it was likely UB08A, Stakataka. Like Kartana and Celesteela, their Steel-type attributes made them difficult at first, but it was taken care of with Salem's arrival. They could brush off physical hits with ease, and more often than not, if dealing with a strong foe, would function as (much welcomed) shields for the frailer faction members. Their myriad of eyes across all of their individual components made them virtually impossible to take by surprise. As Void was physically fragile, there was usually quite a few of them in her general vicinity to cover for her weakness if a foe attacked.

Blacephalon, UB08B, seemed to be whimsical and jolly to outsiders, but this was but a ploy. Once close enough, their own heads would explode- no harm done to the Blacephalon, to be sure- to cause massive damage to anyone in the blast radius. While not the strongest, their attacks were _anything_ but weak, and being caught off guard by their playful mannerisms and happy gestures was a surefire way to be utterly crushed. It was a tactic that plenty of dissenters had been done in by.

Then there were Cosmog and Cosmoem, two pathetic creatures that Void didn't even bother to give any form of identification or send out with other faction members. Even a Magikarp had _some_ capability for defending itself, but _these_ two species… not so much. Their battle capabilities were non-existent, thus their only use was to open wormholes for travel between Ultra Space and other worlds. Perhaps they would have had a saving grace in that they could eventually evolve into members of the Light Trio, be it Solgaleo or Lunala, but putting in the effort to _get_ them to get them to that point was simply too time-consuming and tedious, thus Void opted not to with the terrifying force of her other Beast underlings already accomplishing her goals flawlessly. They were rare, therefore every single one obtained was kept locked up at Void's discretion, brought free only to serve their only purpose. Poisoned underlings lacked the awareness or capability to protest their subjugation, and while these were no different… truly, they lead a miserable existence. Their days were spent either being locked away from any friendly interaction or being weak and pained from opening wormholes with no signs of it ever changing. Yet, pathetic as they were, Void was sure to never turn loose of one and was ecstatic when a new one was claimed by her underlings (perhaps since the possibility of it ever being able to evolve into a Solgaleo or Lunala were dashed as a result, and thus Necrozma's chances of ever getting formidable outside help dwindled even more).

No, if Void was going to get her hands on a Solgaleo or Lunala, it was the two in the Light Trio that she had her (seemingly non-existent) eyes on. Rarely was Necrozma not seen in either the Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings form, occasionally the Ultra form, fused with one of them and their light filling Ultra Space. All three of them were formidable in their own right, but Ultra Necrozma put every other creature in Ultra Space to shame with their power. Their light burned through anything, even the very sky it shone in, and aside from the benefits of her human-turned-Pokémon host, Void sought Necrozma's wild force. Salem's presence brought her dangerously close to obtaining it.

Adnea scribbled every single thing worth noting down, and Rush nodded as Raijin told them, seeming to scrutinize the details of every Beast described as if already formulating a strategy on how to beat them.

"I-it's not often that you see a Beast running around alone, either," Raijin noted, touching his fingers together again. "Void always forms teams to cover our collective weaknesses, since a lot of Beasts are specialized for one thing in particular- like me being a special attacker and, say, a Pheromosa attacking but not defending. You'll usually see things like a Buzzwole and Nihilego covering each other, or a Stakataka and Kartana, and so on… Point is, it's hard to take faction groups down."

Rush nodded. "Oh, I get that," he brushed it off, "That's why me and Rozen run together all the time. I attack, he defends, and everyone's happy."

"I take it this tyrant is clearly no fool," Adnea remarked, her pen stopping for a moment. "If Salem has trusted underlings like Zariel and Azure, would I be correct in assuming Void has her own also?"

"She does," the Xurkitree answered, shrinking up a bit again. "She has three, and obviously Salem is one of them. The other two are Remi the Pheromosa, UB02B-0001, and Knox the Stakataka, UB08A-2301. Remi was Void's _first_ primary host before Salem from back when the takeover started… and they're scary. They're the only one audacious enough to give Salem snark, even if they know Salem outclasses them, and they're easily the most fanatical of the faction. They react violently to being criticized or touched, so really, you just don't want to tangle with them. Knox is their partner and Void's bodyguard, so if anyone tries to attack, Void hides inside of Knox's walls while Remi takes care of the threat. You'll _never_ see Void without one of those three close by."

Adnea's pen scrawled that down too. "Is there anything else you should share?"

Raijin shook his head. "… I don't think so."

"Lovely," the Orbeetle said, her book snapping shut and floating to put itself away on a shelf. "Do tell me if anything else comes up."

The Xurkitree nodded. "I-I will."

Rush snickered, jumping up and stretching his arms a bit with a smirk while eyeing Astrid and Arashi. "Well, we got that out of the way, and hot damn, y'all little pipsqueaks really _are_ somethin' else."

Astrid fluffed out a bit, while her partner got another twinkle to his eye (probably still trying to contain himself). The Scrafty strode over, studying all three of them with a grin on his face.

"Heh, maybe I shouldn't be callin' ya little pipsqueaks, since _one_ of you clearly ain't and _you_ and _you_ can handle yourselves fine," Rush remarked, looking to Raijin, then Astrid, then Arashi. "Let me ask y'all somethin'. Y'all can still be the Starstorm brigade and all, but… whatcha say about joining the Coalition? I said I'd make a spot for 'Mon- or I guess 'Mon and Beasts- like y'all any day, and I meant that."

That… came completely out of left field from what Astrid was expecting. Her eyes went wide, and she blinked a few times in stupor, her partner doing the same (albeit with a few gasping sounds). Raijin appeared to have the same reaction, but obviously, it wasn't displayed the same way.

However, just as fast, the Frogadier fainted again.

"Arashi!" Raijin cried in alarm, twitching before reaching down and trying to rouse him. "Are you okay?! Why do you keep fainting?! You didn't get hurt _that_ bad, did you?! Oh, by Necrozma!"

Rush studied him too, caught a bit off guard but not seeming to mind too much. Adnea chuckled, rolling her eyes and going right back to combing through her documents.

"H-he's fine, Raijin," the Dartrix said to her comrade, then to Rush, "H-he's a… r-_really_ big fan, he just… didn't want to look like an obsessed fanboy."

The Scrafty crossed his arms, smirking and snickering. "Somehow, I figured."

"W-we'd love to, by the way," Astrid affirmed, still looking to Rush but giving her partner a nudge.

It seemed Arashi's excitement had done him in temporarily, for he wasn't budging. Rajin's hand (_very_) gently sparked, but the Frogadier wasn't coming to. Astrid sighed haplessly, shaking her head.

Nonetheless, Rush wasn't fazed. "Then I'ma go holler at Rozen to show y'all around town. We'll get ya a place set up in the meantime."

Astrid nodded. "Th-thank you."

Astrid and Raijin finally managed to prod Arashi awake again after a minute or two, and when they told him what had happened, he almost fainted again, but Astrid giving him a swift knock with one wing kept him from it. He tried to assert, yet again, that it was the best day ever, but the Dartrix shoved her wing in front of his mouth to shut him up before the words could audibly leave. Adnea chuckled, her back still turned to them.

Nonetheless, shortly they were off again through the busy streets, the soft pink second-in-command in front.

"This is quite the occasion," Rozen mused nonchalantly. "The last time we had a new member was Cinder, six years ago, and before that was Lazuli, two years prior to Cinder… But to think we went from six to nine in a single day. My, this is special."

Arashi giggled. "Is that why Lazuli was so happy?"

"Oh, of course, she quite likes meeting new individuals," the Audino replied, then waving at a few buildings with signs out front, "You'll find a lot of teams with headquarters here. The dungeons around these parts tend to get lots of traffic, so this town makes it rather convenient to reach them."

What Rush had said about not caring for fanciful appearances was true, for almost all of the bases were decked out with ornamentation akin to what their signs said. 'The GNARLIEST Brigade!' had spikes and a spiked metal gate for a door, the rest of the base painted in dark red and black. 'Team Sweetheart' was covered in pink and looked like a cutesy castle, a bed of pink roses growing out front with little white bows tied around the stems.

"Wooow, some of these are pretty well-known, too," Arashi noted, looking around in awe.

"Indeed," Rozen affirmed, then motioning to the dark and spiked base, "That's the Gnarly Brigade, lead by Shar the Garchomp. She wrecks just about any foe that isn't a Fairy-type with her Outrage." He motioned to the pink one next. "And that's Team Sweetheart. Their leader, Ama the Blissey, is ordinarily a very kind and loving creature that's happy to share her eggs, but she packs Counter to deal with anyone who tries to take advantage of the Happiny line's physical frailty."

_That_ sounded like a definite way to lose a battle- having one's attack returned at twice the power it had hit with, especially on a Blissey. An Outraging Garchomp seemed like a terrible sight to behold, too.

"You'll find some others too," Rozen continued, traipsing along with delicate steps. "Team Charade is based here too, lead by Xeno the Ditto. He changes his form into whatever will give him an advantage, but alas, he always has the face of a Ditto. Delphi, whom you met earlier, is part of Team Mirage. Their most powerful fighter, Spirit the Dragapult, is quite fearsome, and their rogue, Joker the Unfezant, is a Shiny variant."

The Starstorm trio perked up at that.

"Really?!" Arashi cried excitedly, "That's _super_ rare!"

"The odds of that are… tiny, right?" Raijin was likewise surprised.

"Oh, the odds absolutely _are_ tiny- someplace between one-in-four to eight thousand," Rozen replied.

Some very tiny odds, to be sure. They followed Rozen up a staircase carved into the craggy surroundings, on the sides of which a Jigglypuff and Mienfoo chattered happily to each other.

"And up here you'll find Pelipper Post Office," the Audino noted.

It didn't take long to pick it out, for the place bore the likeness of a Pelipper with almost uncanny accuracy. Much like the post office back home, this one appeared to be carved out of a vastly wide, hollow tree trunk with an open top and a few shoots growing here and there. The largest part of the trunk was yellow and shaped like a Pelipper's bill, propped open at the top by a log holding the roof up at an angle, while the much smaller back portion was white with a window where the 'eye' would be and a bed of leaves covering the top. One of the eponymous avians fluttered out and off to someplace in the distance, its bill full of letters.

"You can send whatever mail you may need to here," Rozen noted, motioning at it. "Do keep in mind, however, that some hours tend to be busier than others. If you come in the evening, you may be stuck waiting for quite some time. It's best to take care of things in the morning before everyone leaves for the day's missions."

They made note of it.

"I gotta send Mom and Dad a letter," Arashi mused thoughtfully, "They're probably really worried about us…"

"That would certainly be a fine idea," Rozen concurred, giving the Frogadier a gentle pat.

Astrid had to agree, too- there had been quite an uproar the first time she and Arashi had set foot in a dungeon, thus with everyone knowing _exactly_ who was on their trail this time, there was likely quite a bit of frantic feelings to go around. She hoped they were alright; everyone had been so nice and helpful to her lost, amnesiac self, and definitely didn't deserve whatever hell the wild-eyed Delphox may have wrought…

Not too far away down the street, though, was a familiar sight- a shop run by two Kecleons, albeit a much fancier-looking one than in Tranquil Town. Rather than just a tent, this one was far larger and elaborate, the shop made up of a dome structure bearing the likeness of a Kecleon, or rather, two Kecleons in one, for one half was green and the other purple. A tablecloth with a red zigzag along the center, green on the top half and purple on the bottom, ran across the countertop, at which several customers went about procuring their items and the Kecleons carried on in their singing voices.

"I suppose you're familiar with the Kecleon Shop," Rozen mused, motioning at the shop.

"Hah! They're everywhere; of course we are!" Arashi laughed.

"Is that where you buy new items…?" Raijin inquired, studying it. "I've never been to one…"

"That's right," said the Audino. "You can occasionally find them set up in dungeons as well. I should also issue the standard warning if you're unfamiliar- _never_ steal from Kecleon. Only a low-down no-good thief would attempt such, but even so… you'll find yourself regretting the day you came into existence if you try."

Raijin twitched, and Astrid fluffed out in uncertainty even if the warning was nothing new to her.

"W-why is that?" the Xurkitree inquired, looking hesitant. "N-not that I would ever want to! I-I'm just curious!"

Rozen chuckled. "There are only three infinite things in this world- the universe, the boundaries of brilliant minds, and angry Kecelons. Even then, I'm not sure about the first two. But, that being said, while Kecleon may not look it, that species is easily among the most fearsome of creatures in this world if you are brazen enough to steal from them. You would not want to face down an endless horde of legendaries, and likewise, you would not want to face down an endless horde of Kecleons, which is exactly what would happen."

Astrid blinked a few times, and Raijin touched his fingers together in hesitance.

"... So _that's_ what happens…?" Astrid inquired, studying the smiling reptilians behind the counter.

"Ah… D-duly noted…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

Rozen chuckled again, warmly smiling in amusement. "Oh, rest easy, you two.~ You all are better than that, I can tell."

Even if they weren't, the foreboding tales were enough to keep anyone away.

"C'mon, now, I've still more to show you," the Audino mused, motioning them to follow along again back the way they'd come.

They did so, brushing past a Jumpluff and Lairon that scurried over to the Kecleons' counter. The Girafarig and Zoroark from earlier had apparently returned, the latter of which was telling off a flustered-looking Zorua who kicked up a fuss. Astrid couldn't help but feel just a bit overwhelmed with how bustling everything was, and thus stuck close to Rozen and Arashi to shield herself away from all the hubbub. Raijin stayed close too, arms and tail drawn in close so as to be a small as possible (but alas, it didn't work very well).

On another street was a small and rather unassuming blue tent, the top pointed but the rest rectangular, with strings of beads forming the doorway. It had a somewhat mystical air to it nonetheless, as if somehow it wasn't quite real, and it seemed to gently beckon in passersby. Rozen stopped in front of it, and they couldn't help but study it.

"This is Soul Aria," Rozen pointed out, motioning to it. "Delphi does psychic readings here. If you're afraid your next venture might be a perilous, unlucky one, or you simply wish to see your future in another regard, you can consult her. She's rather skilled with her cards."

That seemed rather useful in its own right. Astrid certainly wouldn't be forgetting it, and her comrades already seemed somewhat entranced.

Nonetheless, Rozen beckoned them off again. "And I suppose there is one more place I should show you."

Once again, they followed.

The place Rozen stopped at had a sign out front reading 'Grumpy's Lounge' in very crisp yet fanciful text, but clearly, it wasn't a team base. It looked much like an old wooden lodge, a cozy and welcoming one at that, but from the windows and sounds coming from within, it was clearly rather boisterous inside. A nice smell wafted through the air too, which they didn't even have to be close to in order to pick up on. The black roof resembled a bridge, and indeed, a street passing up on a higher ground level above could use it as one. Still, the black-rimmed windows had little boxes of pink and purple posies underneath them, and similarly, a bed of the same posies surrounded the perimeter.

Rozen broke into a grin on nearing it. "This here is Grumpy's Lounge, run by Grandpa Grumpy the Grimmsnarl. His actual name is Samson in case you were wondering, but he's such a fun old chap that everyone calls him Grandpa. You can stop here after a long day of expeditioning to enjoy some great food or a mug of berry beer- provided you are _responsible_ about it!- and unwind. It's become something of a hub around these parts; almost every team frequents it at some point or another. Personally I recommend the Mago and Pamtre tart above everything else, and if you ask Rush, he'll claim that _my_ cooking is the best he's had… but of course, both of those things are subjective."

Somehow, Astrid didn't feel that she was quite old enough to be enjoying any berry beer, but kept that thought to herself since Rozen and Arashi didn't seem to be thinking much of it. Raijin, of course, didn't have much of an opinion one way or another, since he lacked the means to drink such in the first place.

"And that's all that you should be aware of," the Audino noted, turning back to face them. "Have you any questions?"

The three of them shook their heads.

"Lovely. Then we should be back to HQ for the time being."

Three nods answered, and again they were following the Audino back to their new base.

Astrid cast a glance to Arashi, who returned her gaze with bubbly, excited eyes, the Frogadier clearly still thrilled at their new status quo.

Of course, she would not be calling it 'the best day ever,' but at the very least, their turn of events seemed as favorable as near-death and interdimensional warring could get.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Another mention goes to my friend and editor TheDragonSaver, who owns Delphi and Team Mirage._


	26. Chapter 26: Touching Bases

When they returned, there was indeed a place set up for them… if moving some things around in the basement could count for such. It had been dark to their view from upstairs, but thankfully, a larger lantern on the ceiling was sufficient to light it up. The floor was mostly dirt with a large black rectangular rug thrown down over it to make at least a chunk of the floor more comfortable, and no shortage of boxes lined the back wall that seemed to be overflowing with mostly items but also a few stacks of papers. A bag of seeds- around thirty Plain Seeds, nothing worth noting- had already spilled onto the ground from one, and the edges of a few scarves poked out from another. Nonetheless, a large stick perch had been jabbed into the wall (apparently Cinder's suggestion or so Rush said, though the fiery avian wouldn't even so much as _look_ at them) and a wooden shelf had been placed close to it, which they could use for setting up whatever items they wanted to keep close by. There were three cushions- one white, one black, and one green- that they could place as they liked, giving just enough flair to be noticeable.

"Yeeaaaah, it's a little _meh_, but I wasn't thinkin' this team was gonna get any bigger," Rush remarked, crossing his arms and looking around.

"Hah! I'm not complaining!" Arashi brushed it off, fluffing up one of the cushions.

"This is _perfect_ for recharging," Raijin noted, taking his more conically-shaped stance on the dirt.

Astrid was carefully getting a feel of the perch, and promptly decided that she quite liked it too even if it _wasn't_ a snug basket as she was used to. But, then again, almost every winged creature roosted on perches, thus such was likely to be expected.

Rush, however, couldn't help but amusedly eye the Xurkitree's much less mobile state. "A'ight, when you do _that_, you _do_ look like a damned tree if I tilt my head and cross my eyes a little. I was havin' trouble picturing it when you were just walkin' around."

"Well, trees in your world look a lot different," Raijin meekly noted.

The Scrafty chuckled. "I guess they do! But hey, while we're all down here, let me ask y'all something else- what're your movesets? You can go first, Astrid."

The Dartrix froze up for a second at being suddenly singled out, her feathers fluffing up for just a moment, but she nonetheless replied, "U-um… R-Razor Leaf, Pluck, Ominous Wind, and T-tackle…"

The Scrafty eyed her for a second, apparently not too thrilled and his grin dropping, but looked to the Frogadier next. "What about you, Li'l Blue?"

"Water Pulse, Quick Attack, and… Pound, but I hardly use that one," Arashi answered.

Rush rolled his eyes, letting out an audible sigh. "You only got three?!"

"Well, I guess I could technically use Bubble too, but there's not much of a point to that if I've got Water Pulse, y'know?"

"You ain't wrong," Rush brushed it off, still looking less than enthused. "You, Raijin?"

"Discharge, Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball, and Signal Beam."

At that, the Scrafty's face lit up. "Then I ain't gotta worry about you! That's some damn good coverage!" However, he looked back to Astrid and Arashi rather pointedly. "_You two_, though, are _pathetic! _ We gotta fix those shabby sets if you're gonna go dungeon crawling again anytime soon!"

They were a bit taken aback at the sudden chiding, Arashi blushing a bit and Astrid trying to sink into her feathers again. Rush strode over to the boxes against the wall and grabbed one, setting it down with an audible _thump_. Apparently it was chock-full of items, for he didn't have to reach in very far to find what he was looking for.

"Get over here, you two," he called, motioning them closer.

Astrid and Arashi shared a slightly puzzled glance, but did as Rush said and scurried over.

Almost as fast, Arashi was getting an excitedly shocked look at the contents of the box. "Whoa, are those TMs?! A-aren't those like, _crazy_ expensive and hard to find, though?!"

Raijin took notice too. "You've got so many…!"

Rush laughed, not bothered at all. "Y'all think we ain't got the money or the means?!"

Astrid peered in, for the term 'TM' sounded familiar, but as with most other things that sounded familiar, she couldn't quite place it. The items in question looked like metallic discs of many different colors, some of them with what looked like a rainbow aura and others without. A small few looked dulled and grey, and of those that did, some had broken edges and holes as if the disc had partially disintegrated. The sight of them gave her déjà vu, as if surely she should have known what they were for, but still, she wasn't quite placing it.

"W-what's a TM…?" she asked timidly.

Rush was laughing again, studying her. "The easiest way to learn new moves," the Scrafty answered, smirking a bit. "Y'know, some 'Mon have more moves that they can actually learn than they'd ever naturally figure out, which is where these come in. They ain't easy to make in the first place, since you're basically storing all the power of a move in a little disc you can carry around and bust out whenever, but they're pretty damned useful."

That sounded more familiar, and Astrid nodded, still studying them.

"These rainbow ones here can be used however much you want, but the plain ones can only be used once," Rush noted, picking up a light grey one with a rainbow glow. "If those humans from waaaaaaay back in the old days were ever good for anything, this is it, 'cause they came up with the system. But we got 'Mon like Alakazam and Orbeetle that figured it out pretty easily too afterwards, so we ain't gonna run out of TMs anytime soon even if the humans ain't here."

"A-ah…" Astrid's voice trailed off, taking it in.

The Scrafty laughed, picking up another in a pale blue shade without an aura. "And I'ma be honest, with movesets like _y'all_ two have, I'm surprised Raijin didn't have to save your asses more than once! Only issue is that middle-stage evolutions usually ain't got _near_ the spread of final evolutions, so y'all are a little limited in what you can learn, but that's alright for now if ya know what you're doing. The gods know that bastard Cinder has enough rage and fury in his little unevolved form for fifteen Talonflames."

They weren't doubting such a claim after their initial encounter with the Fletchinder, for he had certainly seemed rather peeved about _something_.

"So this one here is Steel Wing and this one here is Ice Beam," Rush noted of the two discs he held, "Li'l-li'l Green, Steel Wing is for you. Ice-types will give you hell with your typing as it is now, and even when you evolve, it's good to have since you'll still be weak to them. That, and you can piss off fairies and Rock-types."

The Dartrix nodded, not protesting it.

"Li'l Blue, you're getting Ice Beam. That'll cover you against Grass-types, and you can piss off plenty of other ones too."

Arashi wasn't protesting it at all, for he was still wearing a big grin.

Astrid wasn't too sure _what_, precisely, she was supposed to do with the disc in order to learn whatever move data it carried, since amnesiac or not, the idea of actually learning something from it with no outside equipment seemed absolutely ridiculous. Surely, she couldn't just absorb its contents…

Yet that is _exactly_ what Arashi appeared to do, for he took hold of the disc and was momentarily shrouded by an icy blue aura while the TM itself quickly lost its sheen and became damaged. The Dartrix blinked.

"Is that… _it_…?" Astrid's voice trailed off, studying her partner.

The Frogadier chuckled. "Of course it is, silly! If you're trying to learn a new move, and you get ahold of something with that move's essence, you'll just absorb the essence in no time! It's super easy!"

She blinked again. 'Easy' seemed to be an understatement; 'effortless' was more like it. It surprised her.

What surprised her even more, however, was when Rush giggled at her stupor, then suddenly slapped the disc onto her forehead. She let out a startled squawk and fluffed out, but certainly felt _something_ change when a metallic grey aura temporarily covered her too before fading. However, unlike the icy blue TM, the one for Steel Wing didn't break and retained its vibrancy.

"See, Li'l-li'l Green?!" the Scrafty laughed, throwing the disc back into the box with the others, "It's easy! You ain't gotta be afraid of 'em!"

"A-ah…" her voice uncertainly trailed off. She hadn't been _afraid_ of them, just skeptical, but she didn't deem that worth noting.

"A'ight, then, I want the both of y'all to hit me as hard as ya can with those new ones," Rush declared, getting a big smirk and bracing himself. "Show me whatcha got! Knock my ass out if ya can!"

And yet again, the Dartrix was a bit startled at the happenings, not really wanting to do such, but Arashi had no trouble. An Ice Beam shot off at the Scrafty, who was quickly covered in a flurry of ice crystals but grinned nonetheless while brushing them off.

"_That's_ what I'm talkin' about, Li'l Blue! C'mon, Li'l-li'l Green!"

Astrid blinked, a bit unsure, but nonetheless crouched down with both of her wings spread out. A light grey glow surrounded them with a metallic sheen like metal, and she flew at Rush, slamming into him with her wings that collided _much_ harder than they otherwise would have. The Scrafty, though, didn't appear to be fazed at all by either of their attacks.

"Theeeere we go!" Rush cheered with a smirk, "That's _much_ better. Now tell me somethin' else- whatcha got in the way of items? What do you usually carry around?"

"Not much, usually," Arashi answered, slipping the bag off and peering inside. "Right now, we've only got a Pure Seed and two bananas, just the bare essentials and the seed to use in case the floor gets _really_ bad. A few Oran berries are nice, but we used those up on the last mission we did, and… Well, Salem ran us off before we could get any more."

Yet again, the Scrafty's grin fell for a less-than-enthusiastic look. "Daaaamn, y'all sure do travel light, in that case. Can't have _that_, either."

Once more Rush was rustling through the boxes, first fishing out a much less tattered-looking bag with some more space and pockets to it (that Arashi was certainly entranced with almost instantly on account of it looking 'more legit'). The Frogadier transferred over their items and money from the old one to the new one, and Rush gathered up some more items that they certainly wouldn't complain about- three Oran berries, an Escape Orb, a Luminous Orb, and a Heal Seed.

"_That'll_ keep you a lot safer," Rush noted, looking over all three of them, "And if ya need to resupply after a mission, those boxes are our stashes, so get whatever ya need out of 'em. I'll leave y'all alone for the time being so you can get settled, and if ya need anything, Dren and Adnea are here, so you can holler at 'em. Me and Rozen are gonna run off for a while, but we'll be back later, a'ight?"

The Starstorm trio nodded.

"Don't go doin' anything crazy in the meantime," the Scrafty cautioned with a smirk, "But how are y'all feelin' about tomorrow? You need some more time to rest, or you wanna get started on missions again?"

They looked at each other.

"I bet you guys already know what I want," Arashi mused simply, smiling.

"I-I'm alright with that," Raijin softly agreed.

"Fine by me," Astrid concurred, "I don't see a reason to waste any time if we've thrown Salem off of our trail for now…"

Rush snickered, crossing his arms. "Y'all still got fighting spirit and _I like that!_" he exclaimed before turning around and striding back off to the stairs. "Tomorrow morning, a'ight?"

"Yes!" Arashi cried.

"W-will do!" said Raijin.

Astrid only nodded, even if the Scrafty couldn't see her.

Once they were alone again, Arashi simply couldn't contain his excitement and pumped his fists in the air, letting out a gleeful squeal. Astrid grinned a bit too, even if only in amusement when her partner started dashing around the room with his hands still triumphantly in the air.

Nonetheless, Astrid went to roosting on her perch and Raijin went back to resting with his appendages planted in the ground, and soon enough, Arashi had gotten it out of his system and went to arranging the cushions. Both Astrid and Raijin didn't have much of a preference one way or another for what they looked like, thus the Frogadier got the joys of setting up their new 'base' all to himself. Maybe it was just a leftover room that a bunch of stuff had been stashed away in, but it felt… cozy. Astrid honestly would've felt fine to nestle up in one of the boxes, but she figured that was best kept to herself. Raijin certainly seemed to enjoy the dirt floor for the ease of which he could plug into it and feel rejuvenated, and Arashi was entranced with the simple fact that his idols were paying them any attention.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon getting accustomed to their new headquarters and poking through the boxes to see just how far the stash went, and to be sure, it was _quite_ extensive. The box of TMs had only been the start, for as Astrid quickly came to find out, there was hardly a type of seed, specialized scarf, orb, or wand (which she was unfamiliar with but fascinated by nonetheless upon asking what it was) that the Coalition didn't have among their stores. It was to be expected, she figured, as prominent as the Coalition was. She asked her comrades to explain each type of item she didn't recognize, and they did so, Arashi knowing about most of them and Raijin filling in here and there. She certainly appreciated it, and she was especially fascinated by the Mobile Scarf and Petrify Orb, while the Vile Seed seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Nonetheless, she catalogued each piece of information in her mind and tried her best to remember every single one, for if her comrades already knew most of the items' functions between them, then she didn't want to be the weak link in that regard.

Nonetheless, Cinder and Lazuli made their reappearances before Rush and Rozen did, the Azumarill still appearing happy at having new company while Cinder regarded them with little more than a disdainful look and a grunt of disapproval before marching upstairs and into his room. Lazuli skipped down the stairs to check in on them and spent a considerable chunk of time chattering away with Arashi about the mission she'd run off on- some poor Dubwool had accompanied his Marshtomp pal off to Vanishing Swamp in the south and gotten horrendously outmatched by the occupants- while Arashi excitedly listened with sparkling eyes. Apparently, they got on like a house on fire, each of them with a similarly bubbly demeanor. Adnea was scarce, apparently busy with something… but of course, they couldn't tell what, and she didn't seem particularly inclined to share it.

Shortly after Rush and Rozen returned, though, Astrid and Arashi couldn't help but notice a lovely scent wafting from the kitchen, which upon inspection, was Rozen's doing- the Audino nonchalantly pranced around with a spoon in one hand and a whisk in the other, throwing something together that surely tasted incredible if the scent was anything to go by. The two of them were soon figuring out Rozen's remark of Rush thinking his cooking was the best, for indeed, as good as Nez's chestnut curry had been, the Audino was nothing short of magnificent. He prepared some lovely loaves of bread with a mouthwatering Pinap berry sauce for dipping, along with some roasted mushrooms over a fried Chansey egg (only one of which was plenty for the entire team on account of how absurdly rich it was), and for Dren, a roasted Stantler (from the wild, to be sure). Astrid was sure that, even if she couldn't remember her human life, she'd surely never tasted something so amazing, and Raijin almost lamented not having the physiology to partake.

Arashi went to writing a letter back home afterwards, procuring a few sheets of paper from Adnea's apparent stockpile of such. Astrid and Raijin were perfectly content to simply relax after the day's happenings, but if Arashi hadn't been busy scrawling away, the Dartrix couldn't help but think that they likely would've been darting around the town with the Frogadier nearly fainting in excitement at whatever other prominent team they might've come across.

However, when the sun vanished over the horizon and it became time to wind down…

In the absence of any outside stimuli, Astrid couldn't help playing over all the things Necrozma had shown them in her head, which kept her awake. She fluffed her feathers out, shook her head, and very softly skittered around on her perch as if that would _somehow_ shake the thoughts out of her head, but having been made aware of such a sinister plot that she and Salem were both at the center of couldn't be brushed off so easily.

She sighed, opening her eyes. Raijin's gentle glow prevented them from being shrouded in complete darkness, and she rather enjoyed it- it was like having the moon's glow without needing the actual moon present.

"Can't sleep?" came the Xurkitree's metallic voice, as soft as it possibly could be.

"Y-yeah…" Astrid whispered back shyly, giving the peacefully snoozing Frogadier on the black cushion below a glance. "A-am I keeping you up…?"

"No; I don't sleep so much as go dormant," Raijin softly replied. "You alright…?"

Another sigh, the Dartrix jumping down from her perch with the softest flutter she could manage. "… I think I need to get some fresh air or something."

Raijin's limbs detached from their places buried in the ground. "Want some company?"

Astrid nodded, her feathers deflating. "… S-sure."

As quietly as they possibly could go, both she and Raijin strolled over to and up the stairs with faint, careful steps. Arashi didn't stir at all, and with Raijin's illumination, Astrid could see that he was _still_ grinning even while he slept. She wasn't particularly surprised at such.

A lone Hoothoot pranced around on another roof and a Gastly aimlessly floated off someplace in the distance. The cool night breeze certainly felt calming, and staring up at the starry sky seemed to vacate Astrid's mind at least somewhat effectively, scattering her thoughts like the celestial bodies scattered about someplace far, far off overhead. She didn't stray too far from HQ's walls, only a few meters away where she could traipse back and forth. Raijin didn't stray far either, sticking close to the curtain door.

"Hey, Raijin?" Astrid said softly, looking more at the ground than anything else as her feet made little pattering sounds.

"What's up?"

"From the way you've been talking… Humans are extinct on this world, but do they still exist in Ultra Space…? You mentioned Void fusing with them, and the Naganadel line apparently sticking close to them… But Arashi told me that humans couldn't even keep up on _this_ world, and Ultra Space seems a lot harsher…"

The Xurkitree touched his fingers together again and replied, "W-well, that's true, Ultra Space wasn't particularly kind to humans either… Before the entire incident with Void happened, there was a big settlement called Ultra Megalopolis that a lot of them stayed in and Necrozma's presence would keep them safe, but… obviously, that's not happening now. Some of them had smaller village outposts, and they'd have Beast companions and Necrozma to watch over them from afar, but… you can guess how well that's worked out."

Astrid paused, nodding. "… So there aren't many left."

Raijin too looked down at the ground, twitching a bit. "Hardly any… The faction killed a lot of them."

"A-ah…" the Dartrix acknowledged, going back to pacing. "Well, if Necrozma said there was no one left in Ultra Space to fight back, then I know I'm not from Ultra Space… S-say, do you happen to know what world I'm from if it's not this one or yours…?"

"I… I might," the Xurkitree replied, albeit a bit uncertainly, his fingers tapping each other contemplatively. "I haven't been to it, but I know there's a world where humans are a lot more prominent, and there aren't any Beasts barring ridiculously rare occurrences. The Pokémon there are more akin to the wild ones here, and the humans like to keep them as pets or companions, which both sides seem to be fine with for the most part. As far as I can tell, the only reason that the humans there haven't gone extinct is because they formed a symbiotic relationship with Pokémon, otherwise natural selection would've done away with them a long time ago."

She paused again, giving a glance up at the sky. "What are humans like…? I… I don't remember anything about being one. I guess it doesn't affect me much now, but… I'm just curious, i-if that was my past life and all…"

"Well, they're… they're not so bad," Raijin softly responded, still tapping his fingers. "At least, I don't think so. A lot of the Naganadel I heard talking about them seemed to enjoy their company until Salem intervened, so they seem nice. As far as I can tell, most of them are just trying to navigate their world and go about their lives."

The Dartrix nodded again, giving her feathers a fluff before going back to skittering in a hapless line.

"W-why do you ask?" Raijin shyly inquired, looking a bit timid but studying her nonetheless. "Are you trying to get your memories back…?"

She shook her head. "Well, I kinda think that ship has sailed on my memories. It's just that, if I used to be one… maybe I should know a little about what they actually are. If I'm being honest, I… I like being a Pokémon, and if I had no direction as a human, then there's probably not much worth remembering."

"A-ah, r-right…"

She paced for a bit more, just the tiny pitter-patter of her footsteps and the breeze making a sound, before she paused again and glanced up at her company. "Speaking of memories, if you don't mind me asking… Do you remember anything before they poisoned you…?"

Raijin gave a twitch, looking down at the ground. "Y-yeah, a little bit. I spent most of my time playing around in an electric meadow, just frolicking and enjoying life and getting happy when a lightning storm would roll in, which happened more days than not. Very rarely, a human would show up to collect some Thunderstones, since there were a ton of those lying around… I mean, it wasn't very exciting or anything, but it was peaceful."

Another nod, and back to pacing she went. "That sounds _terrifying_ to me, but I guess it must've been nice."

"I-it was…"

"I-I'm not gonna lie, Void scares me even from however many light years away she is, but… hopefully, we can give her a piece of our minds and get that peace back."

Raijin relaxed a bit, albeit still looking at the ground. "A-ah, it feels so good to hear someone else say that…!"

However, the rustling of the door caught their attention, and instantly their gazes fell on a certain Salamence peeking out with a gentle grin.

"My, you two seem to be carrying on rather easily," Dren chuckled, likewise stepping out into the night air. "Is everything alright?"

Astrid ruffled up, and Raijin twitched, the both of them caught off guard.

"W-we're fine, I-I just…!" Astrid stammered haplessly.

"I-I'm just keeping her company; I'm n-not trying to run off with her! I promise!" Raijin cried quickly, holding his hands up disarmingly.

The Salamence chuckled, not looking bothered at all. The two formerly chattering ones stayed tense, but Dren's tail giving both of them a gentle pat put them slightly at ease.

"Trouble sleeping?" Dren inquired, giving Astrid a slightly pitying look.

Still fluffed out, she replied, "Y-yeah… S-sorry to disturb, w-we tried to be quiet…"

"Oh, it's no trouble to me at all," the Salamence brushed it off, not concerned at all. "That's why my room is near the door- to pick up on things outside once the sun goes down."

She stayed fluffed out, but mostly because yet again, Dren's tail practically dwarfed her and made her feel tiny- which of course, in comparison to the dragon, she absolutely was. Nonetheless, Dren's gentle tone assuaged them, and Raijin too eased up.

"I merely wanted to check up is all," Dren mused, giving them both a look, "I always have space in my tail if you need a hug. Don't let the reputation of this place and everyone else based here fool you- there's no shame in needing some support, and I'm happy to listen if you ever need to talk."

The both of them nodded, and shortly the Salamence was vanishing to the other side of the curtain with a soft swooshing sound as it fell back in place. Astrid and Raijin looked at each other.

"I… I'm feeling a lot better now," Astrid mused, still sounding a bit subdued and traipsing over to the Xurkitree. "Th-thanks for staying with me."

Raijin nodded. "O-of course."

Shortly, the two of them were likewise vanishing inside again, leaving the streets empty save for a Zubat that went zooming by overhead. Arashi didn't stir at all when they traipsed back downstairs, a smile still plastered on his face even as he snored ever-so-softly. The Dartrix was drifting off soon thereafter.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Regarding TMs, I'm more or less using their in-game depictions in FireRed and LeafGreen where the 'Mon seem to learn the move from the disc itself. I tried looking through official media (even the anime that I haven't watched since 2006), but could find nothing consistent or particularly helpful, so this is the conjecture I'm going with._


	27. Chapter 27: Not Crazy but Shady

The next morning, they were up and at it before the sun could even cross the horizon, courtesy of Cinder peeking his head through the doorway and screeching down at them to get moving. A startled shout came from both Astrid and Arashi, while Raijin only gave a twitch and a spark or two. Nonetheless, Arashi grabbed the bag and the three of them were rushing up the stairs, where all but Dren and Adnea were likewise congregated. Rush couldn't help snickering a bit at their surprise.

"Morning~!" Lazuli chirped, giving a playful wave.

"Morning," Arashi greeted back, giving the Azumarill a somewhat drowsy grin.

The Fletchinder was still borderline glaring at them out of the corner of his eye, and when Astrid caught his gaze, he immediately let out a disdained grunt and turned his beak up. The Dartrix couldn't help fluffing out a bit in hapless confusion, instantly casting her own gaze to the ground.

"A'ight, Team Starstorm," Rush said, crossing his arms and smirking at them, "It's your first day, so I ain't gonna send you anywhere _too_ crazy. Y'all remember those woods we came out of yesterday, yeah?"

The three of them nodded.

"Good, 'cause y'all are goin' to Withered Ridge," the Scrafty informed. "Apparently the past few days, some weird stuff has been happening over there- 'Mon going off in one direction and winding up someplace else with no idea of how they got there, strange voices at night, the whole nine yards. Another team barely out of the rookie stage, Team Wily, went off to go check it out, but they haven't come back, so some shameless outlaw is probably camping out down there. That sort of thing doesn't scare you lot, yeah?"

All three of them voiced their indications that no, it did not.

"Good. Go like you're leavin' town, then once ya get over the bridge, head west, and you'll notice the trees getting a little sickly-looking," Rush instructed. "That's your dungeon; it's got fifteen floors. Once you reach the last floor and get out, head south to reach town again."

Another set of nods followed.

The Scrafty looked between Rozen and Lazuli next. "And us three are off to Sunken Cavern. Big Blue, you better not drown us!"

The Azumarill laughed. "Have I ever let _anything_ of the sort happen?"

Rush snickered a bit, then looked to Cinder. "And don't you go getting KO'd on Bramble Peak all by yourself!"

"Tch! It's not even a dungeon!" the Fletchinder brushed it off, rolling his eyes.

Nonetheless, Rozen and Cinder were shortly fetching their own bags for the day's missions, and while Arashi already had theirs, he nonetheless had to dart back downstairs for something else- the letter he had composed the previous night, which he tucked carefully in the bag where it wouldn't fall out. The morning dew was still on the flora outside, and the air was rather cool and gentle. The sky was mostly purple, but in the distance behind them, it began to turn hues of orange and pink with the sun just barely appearing on the horizon. There weren't many figures out stirring- a wild Misdreavus that seemed to be growing bored without the cover of nightfall, the Persian from the previous day gently moving the Barboach in the fountain to the bucket, and a Dragonite (albeit with a very blatant Ditto face).

"I wanna send my letter off while things are quiet," Arashi noted. "I don't want Mom and Dad to worry about us if we're not coming home for a while."

"You spent a long time writing that thing," Raijin said, giving the Frogadier a glance. "You must've had a lot to say."

Arashi laughed. "Well, of course I did! A lot happened!"

Certainly, no one was debating that.

Ordinarily, Astrid would've been fine to cut down on their travel time and swoop up a comrade in each foot as opposed to carrying Arashi with both, but she seriously doubted that, with her relatively tiny body, she would've even been able to get a grip on Raijin's much taller form (or even get off the ground for that matter). Perhaps, if she got around to evolving again, she could manage to fly them both around, but as it was, that didn't seem particularly feasible.

One Pelipper came fluttering down through the crack in the roof, but in the early hours, the post office certainly did seem rather empty. They took it as a sign that Rozen had been right- stopping by on the way to their destination was surely likely to involve less hubbub, if the bustling streets of the previous day had been any indication.

Nonetheless, there was just a bit of hubbub inside when they encountered another group comprised of a Blissey, Cinccino, and Drampa, the former of which was happily cooing at one of the two Pelippers on the counter with her tagalongs likewise sticking close by. All three of them wore pale pink scarves with ruffled white frills and a deep red heart with fluffy white angelic wings delicately embroidered on them.

"Ohhh, I'm just so happy that everyone is alright~" the Blissey chirped, the 'bliss' of her namesake practically dripping through her tone. "It's always a bit frightening when one of those poor, crazy dears shows up and tries to kill everyone, but that's fine too~ I'll show them my love anyway, even if it _did_ involve point-blank Ice Beaming them in the face~"

The Cinccino chuckled, her tail brushing over the ground around her. "I made sure to dust them off once they were fainted. I would go on a rampage if my pelt was that dirty, too."

The second Pelipper, however, noticed the trio entering the post office and raised one wing in a wave. "Morning! Welcome in!"

"Morning!" Arashi called back, skipping up and retrieving the letter from its place tucked away.

The other bunch perked up at noticing other presences, and all at once, the ones in the pink scarves all seemed to get absolutely enthralled looks while a coo of excitement escaped their mouths. The Blissey's eyes practically sparkled, and the Drampa clapped his fur-covered hands together.

"You're that new team!" the Blissey cried, bouncing in place a bit before skittering over. "I saw you with Rozen yesterday and I just _had_ to ask who you lovelies were when he and Rush came back from their venture! I'm Ama of Team Sweetheart; you're all Team Starstorm~?"

Arashi wasn't wasting any time in excitedly answering. "That's us, alright! Nice to meet you, Ama!"

A happy, gleeful squeal left the Blissey and she threw one of her tiny arms around each of them in succession (on account of her egg being in the way had she tried to hug them with _both_ of her tiny arms). "Ahhhh, this is wonderful~ Arashi, you're adorable! Astrid, you're so _fluffy!_ And Raijin, you're so _pretty!_"

Arashi certainly wasn't protesting the proclamation of being adorable, but Astrid blushed underneath her feathers and Raijin would have blushed too if he'd been able.

"That's Chira and that's Jingle!" Ama cooed, pointing out the Cinccino and Drampa, respectively, who both gave cutesy little waves. "And if you see anyone else walking around with a scarf like ours, they're part of our team too- namely Yunael the Togekiss and Millicent the Alcremie! Anytime you need a hug or some positive vibes, come see us! We _love_ spreading cheer and happiness even more than we love dungeon-crawling~!"

"You should!" the Drampa concurred with a smiling nod. "Snuggling other Pokémon, especially little unevolved forms, is the _best~!_"

"I'll groom anyone who asks me nicely," the Cinccino corroborated, her tail giving a little waggle.

No one was doubting that they were apt to spread love and happiness, for it practically radiated off of them like an unseen aura. 'Team Sweetheart' was about as accurate as it could get.

Nonetheless, Ama motioned for her teammates to follow her along, blissfully crying on the way out, "To the dungeons, comrades! _May love and joy fill the world~!_"

Arashi was grinning, while Astrid blinked several times and Raijin tapped his fingers together.

"I like them," the Frogadier declared, grinning to his comrades.

"She thinks I'm pretty…? A-ah, h-how nice…" Raijin mused, nonchalant but surprised.

"W-wow, t-talk about love and happiness…." Astrid's voice trailed off.

Both of the Pelippers chuckled.

"That's Ama's team for you," one said with a laugh. "You'd never know how tough they were just from interacting with them in town. It'd take a duo like Rush and Rozen to punch through their setup."

Arashi got excited at the mention of his idols as he set the letter on the counter. "I don't doubt it, aha!"

After paying the small postage fee, the letter was gulped up by the Pelipper's giant bill to be placed with the next batch out for delivery, and the team was off again. A few more figures were out and about, but the streets were still relatively quiet, and Astrid in particular quite liked the tranquility.

"This is so excitiiiiiing!" Arashi cried, clapping his hands together as they made their way out. "First day of Team Starstorm being a subset of the Expedition Coalition!"

"Say, can I make a suggestion…?" Raijin inquired.

"Hm?" asked Astrid.

"Shoot," said Arashi.

"Would it be better if I carried the bag…?" the Xurkitree proposed. "I mean, that thing is almost as big as you are, Arashi, and if I'm staying back, that would free up your movements more…"

Arashi thought about it for a second, looking hesitant to give up something that made him look like a bona fide expeditioner, but nonetheless replied, "Alright, sure."

He slipped it off and Raijin slipped it on, and indeed, it looked comparatively tiny on Raijin's larger form.

"Hey, speaking of Raijin doing things," the Frogadier mused, giving Astrid a glance.

Both the Dartrix and the one in question gave him a glance.

"Y'know, you're right about the whole thing with us needing some practice if we're dealing with the likes of Salem and Void's faction, but you and I already have synergy together," Arashi noted. "The _three_ of us as a team don't. We need to get used to having Raijin in the mix and Raijin needs to get used to us, too."

Astrid considered it and nodded, for she had to admit that her comrade did have a point. "What's your take, Raijin?" she inquired, glancing up to the Xurkitree. "My only concern is that, since you're way stronger than us, it'll make battles too easy and Arashi and I won't be up to par if, say, Salem shows up with both of her cronies… which isn't exactly outside the realm of possibility at this point. N-not that we fared very well yesterday to begin with, but… you know how it is."

Raijin touched his fingers together contemplatively, giving a nod. "I understand," he noted. "Would it be better if I held back…? I mean, I'll _still_ probably end up one-shotting everything I attack even if I'm not launching full-throttle Signal Beams and Energy Balls, but I won't go Discharging the entire room unless we need it."

Astrid nodded. "That works. We can all get our experience that way… me and Arashi with battling, and you with being on our team."

It was agreeable to all three of them.

On getting closer to Withered Ridge, though, Rush hadn't been lying about what to look for in regards to the location itself, but the oddities of reaching it didn't manifest. There were no strange voices, no disorientation, just a wall of sickly-looking and withered trees that bunched up in the usual fashion. They looked old and dead, most of them without leaves on their haphazardly curling branches, and of the ones that _did_ still have a sign of life, only a few yellow and orange leaves clung rather weakly as if they'd fall off at any moment.

"If things are supposed to get weird in here, make sure we all stay in communication," Astrid noted. "If one of us thinks we're hearing or seeing something, ask the other two. If something just generally seems off, ask just to be safe. And if one of us starts acting funny, we say something. Getting lost and knockout-by-confused-comrade should be avoidable if we do that."

Her comrades nodded, and in they went.

**Withered Ridge 1F**

It wasn't terrain that was outright unfriendly, but surely, none of them were very fond of it. The ground wasn't sandy but it wasn't firm either, more akin to clay and silt that cracked when tread over with just a few little yellowish-green and half-dead shrubs poking up from it. The withered trees poked up here and there too in the middle of the floor, along with some jagged stones littering the ground. The same trees mostly made up the walls, but larger rocks filled in the gaps where they didn't grow. It certainly _looked_ withered, too- even the green tones that would've otherwise indicated some sign of living were washed out and overwhelmed by an indifferent scene of brown with just a few blotches of grey. The fact that it was a mystery dungeon was probably the only thing keeping the entire place from decaying away into nothing.

"This just _looks_ like a place someone would be camping out to cause trouble," Arashi remarked.

"I'm banking on that until proven otherwise," Astrid noted, quickly scanning their surroundings. "Watch your backs."

They set off, Arashi sticking close behind Astrid and Raijin close behind Arashi, the Dartrix going for a tunnel on the opposite side of the room. Absolutely nothing stirred as they ventured, their footsteps sounding almost inaudible on the loose ground below them.

"I'll admit, I was a little worried this place would be desert terrain," Raijin noted. "I'm glad it's not…"

Arashi giggled, casting a glance backwards. "Why? You afraid of having a type disadvantage or something?"

"No, it's that me and sandy environments just don't get along," the Xurkitree replied. "There's hardly anything there to recharge with and it's just _so_ uncomfortable."

Perhaps it _would_ be uncomfortable, Astrid figured. She'd felt a bit out of place at Lake Lucent herself.

Something like a knocking sound drifted through the air, akin to something repeatedly tapping on a hollow wooden trunk. Astrid stayed alert to find the source of such, but it didn't take long until they happened upon a Raticate gnawing away at one of the withered trees as fast as it could go. A stone next to it had a few bite marks as well, as if perhaps the wild one had tried to gnaw it first then decided that the wood was an easier target for the time being. Nonetheless, almost instantly, the Normal-type was standing on its hind legs and hissing angrily.

Astrid was sending a Razor Leaf the moment it started making aggressive gestures, but while the Raticate seemed peeved at her attack, it dropped back down on all fours and darted at them in a Quick Attack. Arashi followed suit with his own, and in a fast dash, both he and the Raticate slammed each other. The Frogadier was quicker in leaping out of the way again while shooting a Water Pulse, which caused the rodent to hiss even more.

"Hah! Not carrying the bag _does_ free up my movements!" Arashi declared, grinning.

The Raticate turned and bared its fangs at Astrid and Raijin before darting at them next, but a (very small) Energy Ball from the Xurkitree had it sprawled limp on the floor before it could get close.

"Well, this is working out fine in that case," Astrid noted, giving her two comrades a glance.

A very wary Murkrow keeping tight hold on a sparkly golden coin gave them trouble before reaching the stairs, but the rest of the first floor wasn't particularly eventful. (The Murkrow, though, would probably be upset on waking up again to find that Arashi had made off with its coin.) It appeared another Raticate had gnawed a hole in one of the stones making up the wall, but where it lead to, they had no idea, nor were the two smaller ones who could at least somewhat fit inside keen to go venturing through unnatural tunnels in a dungeon. The continually growing fangs of the dungeon-dwelling rodents just never quit, it would seem.

**Withered Ridge 2F**

Still, none of the odd effects had appeared yet. They were thankful for such, at least, but Astrid was still as alert and watchful as ever. A few fixtures of the environment had bite marks, and some of the few clinging leaves on the tree limbs had what looked like bites taken out of them on close inspection, which was likely the work of some other creature they hadn't come across. There was no chattering of teeth to be heard as they ventured, but that didn't stop another dungeon-dweller from making a move.

A Dustox dropped down from the ceiling, its wings scattering a faint powder that fell to the ground with a slight iridescent sheen.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Astrid remarked in a sarcastically soft voice, eyeing the toxic dust.

She had half a mind to Pluck it, but the thought of inadvertently getting a beak full of Poison Powder put her off the thought. A Razor Leaf might not have been very effective, but she aimed one for its wings anyway, and her partner wasn't far behind. Arashi let an Ice Beam go as well, and while the sharpened leaves did little in terms of damage, their edges slicing at the bug's wings prevented it from flitting out of the way of the Frogadier's attack.

"Hey, that worked well!" Arashi cried happily.

"We don't need to get poisoned on the second floor, and I'm not getting close enough to give it the chance," Astrid noted.

The nicks and flurry of ice crystals sticking to its wings made flying hard for their wild company, but that didn't stop it from flapping up a silvery powder-laden gust of wind that it sent at all three of them. The trio tried to shield themselves from the Silver Wind, which _thankfully_ didn't include any poisonous dust remnants, but it was still unpleasant to face nonetheless. The Dustox dropped down on the floor and still skittered closer on its stubby feet, looking ready to strike again, but Raijin formed a ball of green and pinkish energy between his hands that promptly fired in a Signal Beam. The Poison Moth Pokémon was out cold.

"That's gonna be annoying too," Astrid remarked, giving the bug one last glance while she skittered around the dusty coat left on the floor. "We need to watch for those and keep a reasonable distance so no one gets poisoned."

"Just when you think you've already dealt with enough poison to last a lifetime…" Raijin mused in agreement.

They were all careful not to step on the dust left behind, for its effects surely lingered even with the one scattering it fainted. The room they entered would've otherwise been empty, but apparently the ruckus caused by the Dustox had alerted another dungeon-dweller to intruders, for a disgruntled Cacturne came running in behind them with a Needle Arm at ready shortly after.

Raijin was the closest target, but a quick set of sparks coursing along the Xurkitree's body made the wild one hesitate and jump back. Astrid took to the air and flew at it with the intent to deliver a Pluck, and Arashi shot an Ice Beam, but the Dartrix quickly recoiled back when a Spiky Shield surrounded their target.

"Ah-!" Astrid yelped, a few of the spikes jutting far too close for comfort.

"Well, this place is just full of surprises," Arashi chuckled, still grinning regardless.

The shield dropped, but at the same time, the Cacturne became cloaked in a ghostly purple aura while appearing to snicker under its breath. Astrid paused and Arashi did too, but their comrade readied another Signal Beam with the wild one's lack of protection.

"H-hold on, Raijin!" Astrid cried, flapping back and landing next to her comrades again. "Don't attack it yet!"

At that, Raijin aimed the Signal Beam at the ground away from their wild company, but it didn't dissipate entirely. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Destiny Bond," Arashi noted. "If you attack now, you'll get the same damage in return."

The Xurkitree twitched in surprise, and the sphere of energy dissipated. "O-_oh!_ Duly noted! Thanks for the heads-up!"

The Cacturne seemed to snicker wickedly, just waiting for someone to make a move against it, but just as fast, it apparently caught on that its ploy wasn't working and a frowned stretched across its face. Astrid rushed in to Pluck it the moment the ghostly glow faded, while the Cacturne instead spit a Leech Seed at Arashi.

"_Hey!_" the Frogadier protested, nonetheless leaping out of the way.

The Scarecrow Pokémon definitely didn't take kindly to Astrid's attack judging from the growl that left it, and another Needle Arm swung at the Dartrix flapping close by. She didn't mind the attack too much and Plucked one of the Cacturne's appendages when it made contact with her, getting another pained cry in return. An Ice Beam from Arashi brought it close to blacking out, but Raijin's Signal Beam finished it off.

"That's almost as annoying as poison dust getting scattered everywhere," Astrid said, landing again.

"This'll make a good story later, I'm sure!" Arashi wasn't dissuaded at all.

Back to venturing they went.

**Withered Ridge 4F**

A coin or two could be found littering the ground, but by and large, there wasn't much to see. They hadn't seen a seed or a berry growing anywhere, which wasn't particularly surprising given the dungeon landscape, but the Raticates had certainly been chewing on a few trees and had even managed to make one fall with a splintered trunk.

However…

"Hey! I think I hear it!" Arashi exclaimed.

Both Astrid and Raijin paused when the words left the Frogadier's mouth, the Dartrix scanning their surroundings for anything that might have been out of the ordinary.

_*Come closer, come find us…!* _

Astrid fluffed out a bit. "I hear it too."

"Me too," said Raijin.

_*It's so dull and dreary…! Come find us…!*_

For a disembodied voice, it sounded more akin to someone whispering harshly, even if telepathy (or whatever else was the cause) didn't entail a physical voice with the capability become faint and raspy. It also seemed to change rather subtly, as if someone else said every sentence and merely tried to imitate a uniform sound. Surely, Necrozma's disembodied voice had been much more warm and welcoming, but _this_ one… not so much.

"Hey!" Arashi called at nothing in particular, likewise looking around. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"W-_who_ are you?" Astrid asked, albeit much more pointedly, even if she was fluffing out in uncertainty a bit.

_*We are many…! We're so tired of being alone…!*_

That clarified why the voice seemed to change slightly if there were 'many,' but Astrid had more questions at the same time, mostly regarding why the ones talking felt alone and what the reasons were… or if it was just some colorful ploy being played by a cunning outlaw. She certainly wasn't turning loose of _that_ prospect any time soon.

"Hey, you don't have to be alone! We can help you!" Arashi, though, excitedly chirped back with a growing grin. "Just tell us-"

Astrid gave him a nudge and a pointed look, and he shut up while giving her an inquisitive glance.

"We don't know if this is a trick or not," the Dartrix noted. "It wouldn't be the first time, and they're not giving us very good answers."

She was right, the Frogadier had to admit, and he nodded. Whatever the case may have been, the voices weren't piping back up to defend themselves. Astrid still scanned their surroundings for anything that might have given the source away- an oddly moving pebble, a strangely glowing tree, anything of the sort that would indicate company. She couldn't find anything, and her comrades weren't faring any better either.

"You don't think that's referring to the ones that went missing here, do you…?" Raijin's voice trailed off, his fingers tapping together. "The 'many,' I mean…"

Astrid considered it for a second. "… I doubt it," she replied. "Rush said only one team went missing here, and unless they're huge, I'm not sure if that qualifies as 'many.' I'm still betting on it being a trick."

"Well, maybe the trickster just needs some friends!" Arashi was still cheerful.

"Or maybe they're making it up as a ploy," Astrid still wasn't convinced.

Whatever the case was, the Dartrix was going back to searching for the stairs, or perhaps an unruly miscreant should one have been present, with her comrades close behind.

**Withered Ridge 6F**

"No! Keep your wings to yourself!" Arashi protested, hitting a Murkrow with an Ice Beam.

The Darkness Pokémon squawked in protestation but fell limp on the ground when slammed with a Steel Wing from Astrid. Apparently it had caught sight of either their money or the orbs inside the bag and deemed them worth stealing, for rather than attacking, it went straight to trying to loot the bag and only turned on them when a shower of sparks from Raijin repelled it.

"It didn't damage anything, did it?" Astrid inquired, giving the Xurkitree a glance.

Raijin slipped the bag off onto one arm and glanced inside, then promptly answered, "Aside from moving a few things around, everything is just as it was."

"Good," said the Dartrix, brushing it off. "You'd think maybe they'd be smarter than to try stealing from a larger group…" she mused, giving the fainted avian a glance.

Arashi chuckled. "Well, shiny things are their one true weakness outside of battle!"

She wasn't going to deny that.

A Fearow preening itself on the limb of one withered tree could easily be seen from the corridor leading to the next room, and the shrubbery in the vicinity appeared to be both stripped of leaves and gnawed halfway to nothing. The Raticates had surely been busy and a hungry Dustox (or several) apparently took a liking to the bushes, for it seemed the wild ones had given the room a makeover (and not in a positive way). Even the rocks had chunks taken out of them, portions reduced to hapless pebbles and dust.

"Somewhere out there, there has to be a team made up of a Carbink, Murkrow, Gabite, and Sableye with the name Team Jewelry or something," Arashi mused mostly in jest.

"A Pokémon made of shiny things, two Pokémon that steal shiny things, and one that can fit into either category?" Astrid wasn't too sure, though the idea did amuse her just a bit.

"Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship when you put it that way…" Raijin's voice trailed off nonchalantly.

However, when they entered the next room, the preening Fearow immediately perked up and let out a loud, piercing squawk of protest, but at the same time, it quickly became painfully obvious that the Fearow was not the only one present. Two other Murkrows roosted in the rest of the tangling branches overhead, and three Dustoxes skittered up the walls and along the branches too. One Raticate likewise stared down from above, and two others peeked out from behind the gnawed rocks while a Cacturne lurked in a corner. Altogether, ten sets of eyes peered back at the Starstorm trio, and instantly, Astrid and Arashi were getting less than enthused looks.

"G-great…" Astrid said flatly.

"Monster House," Arashi croaked.

The ones up above leapt off of the branches and the flying ones made a beeline for them, but quickly, the wild ones were recoiling back when Raijin set all of his limbs down into the ground around the two smaller ones and sent a flurry of sparks along them. Astrid and Arashi jumped a bit too, the Frogadier in particular startled by being in such close proximity to electrical currents, but nonetheless, it was a harmless maneuver (to _them_, at least). The sparks seemed to be making the wild ones think twice about attacking, at least in a way that made contact.

"Woah, easy there…!" Arashi squeaked, still smiling but visibly a bit hesitant.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle," Raijin said quickly. "If I used Discharge right then and you both were just out in the room, I might've accidentally hit you too if I was targeting all of the wild ones here… Astrid, should I…?"

The Dartrix thought for a second, easily thinking that would be the easiest solution to get them out of the angry swarm, but at the same time… she couldn't help but notice that Raijin's sparks were easily warding off the Flying-types. Of course, it wasn't a shield in the same way that Rozen or Ama might have set up, and she certainly wasn't keen on _literally_ using their comrade as a shield, but she made a mental note of it nonetheless.

Regardless, she responded, "Not yet. Keep those sparks up, though- it's keeping them away. I think we can handle this the usual way with that factored in."

"Gotcha," Raijin affirmed, going back to his former stance but maintaining the electric jolts.

Arashi let out a sigh of relief at not being surrounded by sparks and aimed an Ice Beam at one of the Murkrows, while Astrid sent a Razor Leaf at one of the Raticates. Two of the Dustoxes, however, began scattering silvery dust around, and shortly, the fast flapping of their wings whipped up a Silver Wind that the Starstorm trio tried mostly in vain to shield themselves from. The wild Cacturne in the corner seemed to put up a fuss at it too, probably on account of being caught on the fringe of the attack's path, practically flattening itself against the wall before shaking one arm angrily and growling up at the fluttering bugs. A Signal Beam from Raijin made it even more flustered, a Spiky Shield quickly following with an awkwardly frustrated look even for a feral creature.

Truly, the Murkrows and Fearow seemed to be hesitating to dive down at them for the sparks that might've caught them, but an Ominous Wind from Astrid pissed all of the wild ones off enough to make them a bit more reckless. The ones hit by it were upset at taking damage, and the immune Raticates and Fearow were upset at having to deal with it disturbing their territory. One Murkrow made a rush at her in an attempt to land a Wing Attack, but Arashi's Ice Beam caught it instead and Astrid's Steel Wing knocked it out. The one left, however, wasn't keen on doing what its wild comrade had done and instead let a flurry of ghostly wisps strike at the Frogadier, who let out a cry of discomfort at being hit with the Night Shade. An Ice Beam directed up at it elicited a squawk and made it fly out of the way.

The Cacturne, however, seemed intent on being annoying too even if it was staying away, for it waved its arms and flung an array of Spikes across the ground once its shield fell while smirking all the while.

"Oh, quit gloating!" Astrid fussed at it.

Raijin would've knocked it out with another Signal Beam, but the glow of Destiny Bond made all three of the dungeon intruders think some rather unkind thoughts toward it.

Two of the Raticates, however, likely lacking any moves that could attack from afar, went darting out in a Quick Attack, one of them slamming Astrid and the other figuring out a few moments too late that Raijin's sparks carried enough energy to knock it out even without a direct attack from the Xurkitree. One Dustox shot a Psybeam down at them while another opted for Gust, and at the same time, the Fearow, likely in the same boat as the Raticates, drew its wings in and dove down in a Drill Run. The targeted trio scattered out of the way and let it ram the ground instead, but the Cacturne flinging more Spikes around made them have to watch their movements rather carefully, and a few of the sharp barbs gave them a few jabs that were less than pleasant.

However, when one Dustox began scattering Poison Powder and the two others the iridescent silvery dust, Astrid's face fell, for that combination seemed about as unpleasant as could be. "On second thought…" she remarked, eyeing them hesitantly. "They're about to poison us all! Raijin, do your thing!"

"Get over here so I don't hit you!" the Xurkitree called, taking his conical stance again.

Without wasting an instant, the Frogadier and Dartrix went darting back inside his limbs, scrambling over the Spikes and getting a few painful pokes in return, while the Dustoxes started whipping up a wind with their flapping. The moment Astrid and Arashi were safely out of range, Raijin Discharged a myriad of bolts in every direction, the flashes and crackling of which made them instinctively recoil at just how blinding and loud it was. They could feel the air sizzle, and indeed, their surroundings did grow a bit uncomfortably warm for a moment with the current running along their comrade, but thankfully that was the brunt of the effects they felt. The dungeon-dwellers, however, instantly fell limp, the Raticates with frizzled fur and avians with feathers standing on end. Quite a few of the rocks and trees were left singe marks on them from the bolts making contact.

… However, while the wild ones were taken care of, it didn't stop the poison-carrying Silver Wind from raining down on them.

"Agh! _No!_" Astrid cried, trying to shield herself from breathing it in with her wings.

"Ah, sheesh…!" Arashi likewise was discomforted.

"Now is not the time…!" Raijin exclaimed, disconnecting his limbs from the poison-dusted ground.

All three of them were feeling the poison's effects shortly thereafter. Astrid coughed, her eyes twitching from the burning sensation that she felt behind them. Arashi got a pained look, and Raijin twitched a bit, evidently having absorbed some of the purple dust from being plugged into the ground it was scattered on.

Astrid sighed tiredly, glancing about at her comrades. "Alright, did we all end up taking that…?" she asked, her voice wavering a bit.

"I'm feeling it," Arashi choked out.

"Me too," Raijin answered, sounding a bit distorted.

The Dartrix shook her head. "Sorry. I should've seen that coming."

"Hey, we would've been alright any other time," Arashi brushed it off. "It was working fine until those Dustoxes started up with that last attack."

"You called that _way_ better than I would have, that's for sure," Raijin likewise affirmed.

"Well, we've only got one Heal Seed, and this dungeon doesn't look like a place we'd be finding any more…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she thought about their situation. "If status conditions wear off once we hit the stairs, maybe we should use the Pure Seed… If we use the Luminous Orb and the stairs are too far away, then we'd be down another useful item and end up having to use the seed anyway. It seems like the safer option, and if all three of us are poisoned, then this seems like an okay time to use it…"

_*Come see me, come see me…! It's so lonely…!*_

A few looks travelled about at the voice chiming in again.

"Sheesh, you pick _now_ to chime in?" Arashi half-jested at the voice, his eyes twitching a bit too. "Maybe you could've told us it was a Monster House before we walked into it!"

Nonetheless, Astrid's comrades weren't in disagreement with her idea. Raijin fished the seed out and handed it off to the Dartrix, who took it up in her beak. The Frogadier and Xurkitree both grabbed one of her wings (to avoid being inadvertently left behind) as she bit into it, and almost as soon as she did, both she and her comrades quickly found themselves in a different room next to the staircase. A Raticate took up in one corner, but it was apparently sleeping judging by its peacefully closed eyes and very gentle breathing. Very softly so as not to wake it, they set off up the steps, Astrid wobbling just a bit with the poison's effects.

"Okay, I just gotta say…" Arashi quietly mused, trying to keep his voice to a whisper, "Raijin, that was _seriously_ impressive!"

"You think so…?" the Xurkitree softly replied, still sounding a bit distorted from the poison. "I can set off way bigger ones than that, but I didn't wanna permanently injure any of the wild ones…"

Astrid tried to think of what a 'way bigger' Discharge would look like, and promptly decided that opting for a smaller one was clearly sufficient. If they were on an empty mountaintop facing the likes of Salem and her underlings, then such a release of power would fit, but in their surroundings as it was… she and Arashi might've gotten inadvertently knocked out anyway.

"So the both of you have moves that can hit the whole room," Arashi mused, getting a grin whilst trying to keep a whisper. "_That's_ useful, aha!"

"W-well, it seems like Astrid has a better time controlling who hers hits than I do," Raijin noted. "I can point them in a certain direction, but lightning bolts don't really listen to _exactly_ what you want them to do once you release them…"

Astrid could easily see that being an issue- ghostly gusts were easily manipulated by the one stirring them up, but she figured a giant storm of sparks had a bit of erraticism to them regardless.

"So _that's_ why you wanted us close by when you hit all the wild ones in one fell swoop," the Frogadier whispered.

"Exactly," Raijin affirmed. "It's a lot easier to avoid a comrade when they're close, and with the wild ones spread out like that, well…"

"That's good to know," Astrid said with a nod. "I'm not entirely sure what qualifies as synergy according to Arashi, but I think we're getting the hang of it."

Arashi, though, giggled, not even bothering to keep the volume down. "Oh, we definitely are!"

The Raticate on the ground perked up at his exclamation, but they were gone to the next floor before it could properly assess what was going on. Thankfully, there wasn't a Monster House waiting for them on the next floor, or the ones afterward.

**Withered Ridge 11F**

The Raticates and their Quick Attacks were sure to get hits in on all but Arashi (who countered with his own) with the attack's ridiculous speed, and while the Cacturnes made battles last much longer than they otherwise would have, they were dealt with eventually. By far, the most problematic dungeon-dwellers were the Dustoxes with their poisonous dust, to which the trio made sure to knock them out as fast as was possible to avoid another mishap like the previous. Thankfully, it was successful.

The withered terrain might not have been good for growing berries or food and the like, but they _did_ find other items- some more scattered coins (albeit in rather small amounts) and another Escape Orb, which while unneeded with one already tucked in the bag, they took along with them anyway to add to the stashes after they returned.

However, the disembodied voices seemed to be growing louder and more frequent the further they went, all saying some variant of being lonely or beckoning them down. The source was still untraceable, no lonely or mischievous creature showing itself anywhere, but who or whatever it was didn't seem keen on talking back to them in any manner that would've been useful. If it was friendship or camaraderie the voices wanted, they weren't doing a very good job of voicing their ambitions or needs.

"Snack break…?" Astrid piped up once they entered an empty room.

"I'm right there with ya," Arashi affirmed.

Raijin slipped the bag off and Arashi took it, fishing out the two bananas and handing one to Astrid. She peeled it with her beak while holding it with one foot, but nonetheless got to the fruit inside just fine. Raijin plugged back into the ground to recharge while they munched away.

"I think Chasm Edge still takes the cake for having annoying occupants, but this place isn't a walk in the park either," the Frogadier mused, taking a bite.

"Agreed," said the Dartrix. "Those Litwicks were _awful_."

_*Come to me…! You're so close…!*_

That perked them up again.

"What do you mean, 'so close?'" Astrid wanted to know, her head turning every direction. "You still haven't told us where you are."

_*Further, further…! Find me…! Find me…!*_

"It'd be easier if you told us where to look…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

_*So lonely…! It's been so long…!*_

Astrid had to figure that if, by some odd chance, she were trapped in a lonely place and could somehow communicate with outsiders by using some ethereal voice, she would've given concrete answers to whatever questions they may have had or at least told them outright that she wanted out. Of course, that was assuming the voices they kept hearing were even being honest- she still suspected a miscreant up to no good.

_*So long, so, _so_ long…!*_

They didn't bother responding to it. Astrid and Arashi finished their snacks shortly and left the peels sitting on a rock at the room's edge, and the trio was off again.

"I'm betting on them being on the last floor or close to it," Arashi said. "We haven't seen any outsiders to the dungeon the entire time here, so they've gotta be _somewhere_ if they're still talking to us."

"Either that or camping out outside," Astrid mused. "If they were doing something crafty like hiding in our shadows or being invisible, Raijin probably would've knocked them out five floors ago."

The Frogadier got a surprised grin, remarking, "Sheesh, you really think of every possibility!"

"Well, the most obvious answer to who's using an ethereal voice to talk to passersby is a Psychic- or Ghost-type, and the latter of those has a penchant for hiding in plain sight depending on the species," Astrid noted.

_*Come to me…!*_

"Oh, give us a minute!" the Dartrix snapped at the air, looking flustered.

**Withered Ridge 15F**

"Well, they must be here if they aren't anywhere else," Arashi said as they entered the next floor.

"H-hello…?" Raijin called, glancing around.

It was definitely the last floor, for there was only a single room to be found with a tree-lined tunnel on the opposite end, out of which they could clearly see the sky outside. However, they weren't alone, but rather than some outlaw, the ones they found were… quite different.

There were three figures- a Mawile, a Meowstic that was obviously male from the fur colors, and a Chikorita, all appearing to happily play and sing with each other while standing in a circle. A bag was haphazardly tossed off to one side, and all three of them wore steely grey bandanas with badges bearing the name 'Team Wily' engraved on them. If their expressions were anything to go by, they seemed happy as happy could be, and on noticing three others in their vicinity, turned to look and gasped happily.

"Company! Yaaaaay!" the Chikorita cried, shaking her leaf happily.

"So _you're_ the ones I sensed!" the Meowstic remarked with a grin.

"Oh?" the Mawile said amiably, looking them over with a smile.

At seeing their badges, it was easy enough to confirm that they were indeed the team that had gone missing as Rush had mentioned, but these ones didn't appear to be in any duress whatsoever. Astrid couldn't help but study them in return, a bit perplexed by the scene in front of her.

"You're Team Wily!" Arashi exclaimed, bouncing up to them almost immediately. "We heard you'd gone missing! Say, you don't know what's causing all the strangeness around here, do you? We've had these voices talking to us while we've gone through this place, but apparently, some other Pokémon from town have been mentioning getting disoriented and getting lost! What happened to you?"

The Mawile chuckled and strode closer to the Frogadier, apparently not too concerned. "Oh, don't worry about that voice," he brushed it off. "They're right- it _is_ kinda lonely down here, but it's not so bad."

"Who _are_ you 'Mon?!" the Chikorita cried rather impatiently, bounding up to Arashi and standing on her hind legs in an attempt to read his badge. "Team Starstorm, huh?!"

"Yup, that's us!" Arashi happily answered. "I'm Arashi, Astrid is the Dartrix, and that tall Beast is Raijin! We came down here to investigate!"

"Nice to meet ya," the Mawile coolly remarked, reaching a hand out that Arashi shook. "I'm Jaws, team leader. My buddies are Kaede the Chikorita and Clyde the Meowstic."

"Hiiiii!" the Chikorita excitedly cooed, jumping up and down and waving her leaf at the less social of the Starstorm trio.

"Hullo," the Meowstic said simply, waving one paw.

Astrid couldn't help but fluff up a bit and blush in silence, try as she might not to.

"H-hi," Raijin said meekly, shrinking up a bit.

Both the Dartrix and Xurkitree shared a glance that all but outright said they were glad that Arashi could talk so easily to their company, for Astrid was immediately caught off guard and Raijin didn't seem to be faring much better.

Nonetheless, the Frogadier happily went about engaging with Team Wily without a care in the world. "Are you guys alright? You must have _some_ reason that you're staying down here, right? I mean, your friends are probably out looking for you!"

At that, however, Team Wily's disposition seemed to change instantly, and three sets of piercing eyes fell on the one asking the question as if he'd just announced he was there to kill everyone. Jaws still smiled, but it was a cocky and suspicious one, but the Chikorita and Meowstic seemed to be outright afraid.

"Friends?" Jaws seemed incredulous, tilting his head to the side in scrutiny. "There's no need to go anywhere else. We can make friends down here just fine."

"Ohhh, they came to _rescue_ us, didn't they?!" Kaede shrieked, appearing ready to jump backwards with a frightened expression.

"Don't worry, guys! I'll protect us!" Clyde exclaimed, his hands beginning to glow.

The Starstorm trio was taken aback, surprised at the sudden standoffish display. Astrid's eyes narrowed in scrutiny, for clearly, something else was at play.

Arashi, on the other hand, still grinned, but with a confused countenance. "Well, yeah! We came to find out what was making everyone get all weirded out, and you went missing, so now that we've found you, we should rescue you! Seriously, what's going on?"

At that, the Chikorita let out a wild screech of fury and sent a Razor Leaf at the Frogadier, to which he leapt aside to avoid with a cry of surprise. On seeing such, Astrid crouched down with her wings slightly out, ready to attack, and Raijin held a few sparks in his hands.

"What was _that_ for?!" the Frogadier exclaimed.

"Arashi, get back here! They're hostile too!" Astrid called, eyes still narrowed at the other team.

It didn't take much to convince Arashi, for he quickly went darting back to his comrades while Kaede growled angrily and Clyde went to setting up a wall of Light Screens.

"Something's not right here," the Dartrix noted, not taking her eyes off of the combative ones. "They aren't acting crazy, but they aren't acting normal. Whatever those voices were and whatever is causing the disorientation has gotten ahold of them too."

Her comrades nodded, accepting the explanation. Team Wily, however, didn't seem too keen on such.

"Oh, don't treat us like we're a disease," Jaws said flatly, crossing his arms. "We're not leaving this place, and neither are you. We can all stay down here and be friends forever. Six playmates is a lot better than three."

If nothing else solidified it, the Mawile's words did. If Team Starstorm wouldn't be leaving without a fight, then a fight Team Wily would get… Astrid looked to her comrades, the three of them nodding to each other.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Ama the Blissey is pretty much directly inspired by my own Blissey of the same name that I use in Emerald's Battle Frontier. She's a freaking hero when my other 'Mon fail. Praise be to the pink, fluffy, rage-inducing queen of walling and stalling._


	28. Chapter 28: Connections

"Don't hurt them _too_ bad; just do what you gotta do," Astrid said, her eyes scrutinizing all three of their foes. "They aren't _crazy_, so we don't _have_ to knock them out… unless it comes to that."

"Pfffft! I'll knock _you_ out!" Kaede shrieked, stomping her feet.

In seconds, the Chikorita was swishing her leaf back and forth with a positively _furious_ expression, several razor-sharp leaves glowing into existence and flying off through Clyde's wall of Light Screens at them with each motion. Astrid flapped her wings and swooped up her partner into the air along with her while Raijin dashed aside, the Razor Leaf barrage slicing into the dungeon wall behind them.

"Kaede, get that Dartrix on the ground, and Clyde, _keep her there!_" Jaws shouted, casting a dirty look at Astrid.

"Hah! Good luck!" Arashi called back, getting a smirk and aiming an Ice Beam down at the antsy Chikorita.

Nonetheless, the underlings of Team Wily did as Jaws said, turning their attention up at Astrid and Arashi. Arashi's attack would've sailed straight into Kaede, but yet another Light Screen from the Meowstic next to her blocked it out. The Chikorita giggled with a dastardly look on her face, holding perfectly still while Clyde was covered in a white glowing aura.

"Raijin, can you bust through those Light Screens?" Astrid called down to her other comrade.

"Probably!" was the answer.

Both Jaws and Clyde didn't seem too concerned, even when the Xurkitree was promptly covered in a crackling nest of lightning bolts.

"'Bust through' my shields?" Clyde snickered, looking skeptical at the idea. "Oh, come on, you've gotta be- _what the hell!_"

_Crrrack!_

Raijin did exactly that, however. The Discharge he launched might not have made contact with Team Wily with the shields in the way, but very quickly, the Light Screens were shattering and dissipating back to nothing. Clyde was certainly taken aback, as was Jaws, but the latter still didn't seem particularly unsettled. Arashi spit a Water Pulse down at them, which both the Mawile and Meowstic jumped out of the way of, but an Ominous Wind from Astrid couldn't be avoided by all three of them. Even so, while Clyde let out a distressed cry at the move, his white glow transferred to Jaws and gave him a Helping Hand.

The Chikorita, however, while disgruntled, still wasn't moving, but rather seemed to be taking in quite a few bits of sunny yellowish energy from her surroundings. "Daaaaamn!" Kaede cried, still standing perfectly still but her eyes giving the Meowstic a side glance. "We haven't _ever_ seen your defenses fade that fast!"

"Luckily I can make more pretty easily," Clyde brushed it off, albeit looking slightly annoyed.

Shielded or not, Jaws made a rush at Raijin and leaped up, smashing the Xurkitree with an Iron Head (while also being careful not to lose an eye on Raijin's spikes).

"Ah-!" Raijin cried, flinching at the force and twitching a bit in surprise. "Sheesh, that hurt…!"

Still, a sudden flurry of sparks coursing along the Xurkitree's wired appendages made the Mawile jump back, but Astrid likewise was bracing herself on seeing Kaede charge up a Solar Beam aimed straight at her and her partner. Immediately, Arashi's grin turn frightened and Astrid's feet turned loose of him to get him out of the way.

She may have doubly resisted the move, but Astrid certainly _felt_ it, at least- the intense barrage of sunlight was overwhelming to her senses even from the tiny Leaf Pokémon firing it off. It didn't hurt, but the blindingly bright energy obscured a Psybeam from the Meowstic that sent her clattering to the ground seconds after, try as she might to regain her composure and stay up with frantic flaps.

"Well, at least it isn't _too_ sunny in here!" the Frogadier remarked reluctantly, crouching down.

"Nghhh…!" the Dartrix grunted, scurrying back to her feet as quick as she could.

However, whether she _wanted_ to move or not, she shortly found that impossible, for Clyde stared her down with a Mean Look that kept her in place. A purplish glow on the ground below her wouldn't turn loose, no matter how hard she tried to yank her feet up or flap her wings. A heavy, unamused sigh escaped her beak, while Arashi shot a Water Pulse at Jaws. Another Light Screen went up that nullified it, which Raijin turned his attention to next.

"Oh, don't worry! I'll beat the hell out of you, too!" the Mawile hollered, giving the Frogadier a flat look.

An Energy Ball from Raijin probably would've struck Jaws too had the Mawile not darted out from behind Clyde's quickly shattering shield, but nonetheless, the Light Screen vanished. Astrid, still unamused, opted for an Ominous Wind to hit all of Team Wily if she couldn't move, but her only successful target was Jaws on account of Clyde blocking himself and Kaede out of its reach. A few snickers came from Kaede as her leaf happily waved about, while Clyde turned a Mean Look on the Xurkitree next.

"Oh, _come on!_" Raijin protested, likewise getting locked in place while aiming another Signal Beam.

A Sucker Punch from Jaws moved fairly fast, but Arashi's Quick Attack, while not very effective, was likewise fast. A pained groan came from the Frogadier as Jaws' fist pounded into his chest, but the Mawile likewise drew back a bit on getting slammed by Arashi. Still, with a target close by, Jaws whirled around and bared his fangs, Arashi getting wide-eyed and quickly leaping backwards to avoid being Crunched.

"_Whoa_ there, buddy!" came a cry of protestation from the Frogadier. However, a quick glance to both of his comrades made another shout follow. "Wait, am I the only one that can still move?! Sheesh!"

"Aim for that Meowstic! He's a pain!" Astrid declared, looking pointedly at Clyde.

Kaede giggled at their frustration, swishing her leaf and sending a Razor Leaf barrage through their shields that two of her targets couldn't avoid. Astrid let out a small growl as the Light Screens went shattering again under Raijin's Signal Beam, then promptly whipped up another Ominous Wind to strike all of the opposing team. The Chikorita shrieked a bit and nuzzled closer to Clyde, trying in vain to shield him from the damage with her leaf as a pained look spread across the Meowstic's face. A few less-than-enthused sounds escaped Clyde, but still, a white glow covered him again before transferring to Jaws, who seemed annoyed but not particularly concerned.

"Well, you lot are a pain, too!" Kaede protested, then looking pointedly at Raijin, "_Especially_ you!"

"The only response I think appropriate to that is 'sorry, not sorry!'" the Xurkitree shot back, an Energy Ball forming between his hands.

Perhaps a Mean Look would've locked Arashi in place next, but a Water Pulse to the Meowstic's face stopped whatever was coming. Clyde whimpered, stumbling a bit but getting steadied by Kaede's leaf while the Chikorita apparently went to charging another Solar Beam. Astrid shook some leaves loose and sent a Razor Leaf at the Mawile, but at the same time, she quickly got a frightened countenance as Jaws rushed her next and slammed her with a Helping Hand-boosted Iron Head that she was completely incapable of avoiding. One of her wings was coated in a metallic glow and she tried to hold up a Steel Wing to lessen the blow, but still, Jaws' attack elicited a distressed squawk. She tried to hit him with her wing, but it wasn't particularly successful as he jumped back out of her reach with her feet still stuck to the ground. Clyde tried to put up another Light Screen to block a Water Pulse from Arashi, but at almost the same time, an Energy Ball smashed it to bits and shortly the Meowstic was limp on the ground while the two Starstorm members locked in place found themselves free to move.

"_Yes!_" Arashi cheered, grinning.

Another shriek escaped Kaede on seeing her comrade downed, the Chikorita frantically jumping up and down before her gaze darted between the opposing team for a Solar Beam target.

Jaws growled. "Don't you celebrate! You aren't going anywhere!"

With a Helping Hand or not, Jaws wasn't backing down, and instead turned his attention on the Dartrix before Sucker Punching her.

"Ngh…!" Astrid grunted, definitely not fond of his steely fist slamming into her and definitely feeling its effects.

Kaede turned her attack on Raijin and let the solar energy fly, but Raijin evidently didn't mind too much, for instead he shot back with a Signal Beam that rather easily overpowered it. Yet again, Kaede was shrieking and darting out of the way, dismay crossing her face.

"WHAT?!" the little Leaf Pokémon cried in protestation, her leaf frenetically waggling back and forth. "That's my strongest attack! _Not fair, not fair, not fair!_"

She wasn't charging another one, but her flicking leaf was setting off a barrage of razor-sharp leaves again that flew at them. Astrid struck out with an Ominous Wind, Jaws getting a bothered expression while Kaede yelled in protest and hunkered down as if such would protect her.

"Hey, you guys started it, so you can't complain!" Arashi declared to the contrary.

Astrid couldn't help but think that 'unfair' would be her and Arashi hiding behind Raijin and her telling their new comrade to Discharge Team Wily as hard as he could. Surely, _that_ would qualify as unfair, but no, she was sure that she and her comrades were all in agreement that such would be _ridiculous_ overkill.

An Ice Beam at the Chikorita sent her darting across the room, still screeching in frustration while sending a leaf barrage from the one on her head. "Ugh! Everything was rainbows and posies several minutes ago, then _these_ schmucks show up!"

"Don't worry yet, Kaede!" Jaws called to her, shooting a quick glance her way.

The Mawile's eyes fell on Astrid again while Arashi avoided Kaede's Razor Leaf and Raijin tried to hit her with a few Energy Balls, the Chikorita shouting in protest all the while. The Dartrix's wing hardened and soon, she was flapping up to dodge Jaws' Iron Head and slamming her own Steel Wing into him.

"Gyah-!" the Mawile cried, stumbling.

_*No, no, NO!*_

There was the ethereal voice again, rather close and sounding upset. The Starstorm trio perked up, as did the conscious ones of Team Wily, the latter getting some very confused expressions and pausing with blank looks on their faces.

_*This was NOT supposed to happen!*_

At that, what looked like several purple wisps left the members of Team Wily, Kaede hunkering down again with a shriek and Jaws blinking. Astrid's eyes followed the wisps, her comrades likewise following suit, and an array of more of the wisps emanated down from their surroundings. They seemed to whisper, if a mere purplish fog _could_ whisper, but quickly, the reason became obvious when the ethereal tendrils consolidated around a rock that seemed to leap up from the ground. It was cracked down the middle with two dots on either side, resembling something of a face… a very odd face, befitting of an Odd Keystone. The wisps swirled in a circle around it, two green eyes opened, and a green mouth curled down in a frown.

"What… is _that?_" Raijin inquired, studying it with sparks preemptively held in his hands.

"We are Spiritomb!" the ghostly conglomeration declared, its voice more like a chorus of voices that just happened to utter the same thing. "And you three… you three are _terrible!_"

Astrid's eyes narrowed, the Dartrix flicking one of her leaves out of her face. "H-hey, _I'm_ the one that says things are t-terrible," she said flatly, uncertainly eyeing their new company. "And I-I'm not too happy to see you."

Spiritomb growled, practically staring holes through her if looks could kill. "Oh, we _were_ happy to see you lot, but not anymore!"

"Alright, what's going on here?!" Arashi exclaimed, crossing his arms and still smiling, albeit rather pointedly. "Did you possess Team Wily and bother everyone else?!"

Team Wily's standing members seemed to snap back to their senses on hearing their name and turned their attention on the ethereal one, Kaede whimpering and Jaws frowning.

"We did, yes!" Spiritomb declared, glaring at the Frogadier next. "It's been 500 long years of imprisonment! We finally managed to wriggle out, and of course, we wanted some friends! A _lot_ of Pokémon came wandering close, but these three here, Team Wily, were _lovely_ company after we lured them down and took control of them, but then _you_ lot show up and start beating them up!" The ghostly mess jumped up and down with its keystone, still seething, but its mouth curled up into a smirk thereafter. "Oh, we'll have you know we weren't imprisoned for no reason, and after we defeat you too, all six of you can stay with us forever! _We'll have a lovely time!_ _Yulaaaaah!_"

The mess of spirits appeared to be preparing another attack, but rather than preparing to engage it herself, Astrid still scrutinized it with an unamused face. "Y-your only weakness is Fairy, and you're quite a problematic collective if what you said is true…" she flatly noted, then looking at her Xurkitree comrade, "You wanna do the honors?"

"Fine by me," Raijin affirmed, the sparks fading.

An Ominous Wind from Spiritomb would've struck them all, but when Raijin took on a bright rainbow glow, the glowing green smirk quickly turned into a frown. All four of the other conscious expeditioners were shielding their eyes from the brightness, the ghost looking dismayed.

"Hey, now, let's not be hasty- eeeEEEEEeeeeh!" the conglomeration protested in vain.

A blindingly bright pulse of rainbow energy collided with Spiritomb, and rather quickly, its apparitional body was dissipating back into the rock it came from… at least, most of it.

One tiny wisp lingered outside for a bit. "Hey! You guys! There's 108 of us, don't you think-!"

Jaws growled, and if looks could kill, much less kill a _ghost_, his glare probably would have.

"Yulaaah! Fine! You win!"

The lingering wisp vanished too.

Astrid stalked up to the keystone, picking it up with one foot and studying it for a second before ramming it straight down into the ground and clumping another mound of dirt over it. "Stay there," she said, looking peeved and packing the dirt tight. "We don't need _another_ malicious collective running around."

Her comrades knew exactly what she was referring to, but Jaws and Kaede didn't think much of it either way.

The Mawile let out a sigh of relief, easing up. "_That_ was nuts," he remarked, glancing about the other occupants of the room. "Kaede? You feeling alright?"

"M-hm," the Chikorita replied with a nod, though she got a flustered look moments later and went bounding over to their team lead. "I _told_ you we should've used the Escape Orb!" she shouted, knocking Jaws with her leaf. "I told you! I told you! I told you!"

Jaws got a haplessly dismayed look himself and tried to fend off Kaede as she kept swatting at him with her leaf, a chorus of "I _told_ you!" repeating all the while. Astrid's feathers fluffed out, the Dartrix completely unsure of what to make of their antics, and Raijin wasn't making a sound either. Arashi, however, got an awkward grin and darted over, haplessly trying to stop the Chikorita's tiny onslaught. Nonetheless, the Frogadier grabbing her seemed to calm Kaede down, even if she looked as though she debated going after Arashi next for a few seconds. Nonetheless, Kaede was darting over to Clyde next and poking at him with her leaf, though the Meowstic wasn't responding.

Jaws gave the Starstorm trio a tired but thoughtful look. "Thanks for that," he said amiably. "We owe you, big time. I wasn't counting on having to battle a collective of 108 spirits when we came down here."

"Hah! All that matters is that you guys are alright!" Arashi laughed, giving the Mawile a pat on the back. He cast a glance at Clyde though, then somewhat uncertainly added, "Er, relatively speaking, anyway!"

Jaws chuckled, not seeming too bothered. "Oh, he'll come around," he brushed it off. "Astrid, Arashi, and Raijin, was it?"

"Yup! That's us!" Arashi happily answered.

The other two merely nodded, Astrid still fluffed up.

"I'll remember that," the Mawile laughed before striding over to his fainted comrade and (_very_ carefully) swooping him up in his gaping maw. "Are you guys from the Crossroads? That's where we're based; we're heading back now that this is resolved."

"We are, yeah! We're new in town; nice to know someone else in the area!" Arashi cheerfully replied, getting an excited look. He glanced back at Astrid and Raijin and exclaimed, "Isn't this great, you guys?! We got friends!"

Astrid fluffed out some more, yet again thinking that perhaps her partner was a bit too eager to call anyone that they had a conversation with a 'friend,' especially after just coming out of trying to fight them. Nonetheless, both she and Raijin gave some quick, albeit wordless, nods. Jaws fetched Team Wily's bag from the corner and pulled out some sparkling gold coins, which at first Astrid and Arashi tried to forego taking on account of the rescue effectively being a by-product of what they'd come to do in the first place (and the fact that no official rescue request had been made with a reward listed), but Jaws insisted regardless, claiming that being saved from possession by a mischievous, scheming spirit collective deserved _some_ kind of acknowledgement.

Shortly they were exiting the dungeon and stepping out into the bright sunlight, their surroundings seeming fairly craggy and withered, much like a place a wild Houndoom would roam or a Mandibuzz would nest. The ground was a mix of sandy and grassy, reddish rocks and cliffs making up most of the scenery with a few yellow sandstone streaks among them. Far off in the distance to their west, things turned more lush, but further off to the east, the landscape turned even more barren. Still, what looked like a beaten path met them, which the Starstorm trio assumed must have been the way to make their return. Team Wily definitely seemed to know, for Jaws and Kaede immediately started down it, and the other three followed along.

Astrid quickly found out that Team Wily apparently had their own bubbly extrovert, for Kaede didn't shut up for almost the entire trip back, asking them any question she could think of. Of course Arashi didn't mind and welcomed it, but Astrid stayed fluffed up for quite some time and Raijin went tapping his fingers together contemplatively. Within minutes, Arashi was explaining that he and Astrid- or rather, mostly only him alone- were from Tranquil Town and had just joined the Coalition (much to the amazement of Kaede and Jaws), Astrid was telling them that she was amnesiac (but not the causes thereof), and Raijin was explaining that no, he was _not_ just a very odd Rotom form or wildly eccentric Ditto but rather an extradimensional organism (minus the details of why, _exactly_, he was on their world). Clyde's vibrancy returned around halfway between the dungeon's end and the edge of town, and Kaede was rattling off all the details to him next. Jaws shot Astrid a knowing smirk, his eyes falling on the exuberantly conversing ones for a second before going back to the Dartrix, and they didn't need to exchange words to know they were both stupefied by their comrades' abilities to talk for days with complete strangers.

Nonetheless, once they returned, town was bustling again as it had been yesterday, and the teams said their cheerful goodbyes before parting ways. Dren was up on the ceiling keeping watch as he had been previously and was sure to greet them on their return, while Adnea was hard at work in her room with several pens gliding across the pages of her books and yet another floating open in the air before her. The researcher made a quick note of Spiritomb's shenanigans in one page, but didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

Rush gave them all a high-five when he, Rozen, and Lazuli returned, eager to hear about the turn of events, while Cinder shot them a death glare and strode away without a care. Still, their first mission was a success, and being able to relax afterwards was a welcome thing.

* * *

… At least, until after dinner when Arashi went bounding out again, Astrid and Raijin haplessly following along to see what he was so eager to go do.

"We gotta go see Delphi! I wanna see what she does!" the Frogadier cried, darting through the streets almost too fast for his comrades to keep up.

"H-hey, it's not like she's gonna disappear…!" Raijin said haplessly, skipping after the Frogadier as fast as he could go. "What's with the hurry?"

"Because!" Arashi brushed it off, grinning all the while. "Maybe she _will_ disappear! Or maybe she'll close up for the night!"

The latter sounded reasonable, Astrid thought, but she had some serious doubts that, unless Delphi was somehow spirited away to the Distortion World or something else equally ridiculous, she wouldn't be disappearing.

Still, once they bounded up to the tent, it certainly appeared that Soul Aria was still open, for the beaded door was parted and practically beckoning them in while a Volcarona (with an obvious Ditto face) and Wobbuffet (obviously a female from the red lip coloration) came venturing out. Arashi slowed down, practically coming to a screeching halt that nearly made his comrades smash into him, and got a handle on his excitement.

"To be fair, I'm curious too," Astrid softly noted, studying the tent.

"This _does_ sound like something useful…" Raijin concurred, tapping his fingers.

Arashi was the first one to stride in, followed closely by Astrid and Raijin. The Ditto outside, however, gave the team a glance before Transforming into a form that almost exactly resembled Raijin's, except with a missing head spike replaced by an ever-obvious Ditto face.

"Xeno!" the Wobbuffet cried in surprise. "You can't just steal someone's special form like that!"

"Oh, you know how I am, Karma!" Xeno brushed her off with a voice very much different than an actual Xurkitree. "I see something new, I mimic it!"

Nonetheless, on the inside of the tent, the Starstorm trio had to pause for a second, for quite oddly, they didn't seem to be in the same place… It was definitely the beaded tent door behind them, as well as the streets of the Crossroads outside, but the room was noticeably larger on the inside than it looked to be from the outside. Their surrounding walls were still blue and there appeared to be a partition in the back that they couldn't see, but in the middle was a table draped in red cloth that a certain Delphox sat on the other side of with a smile on her face. Astrid blinked and fluffed up at their unexpected surroundings, and Raijin twitched in surprise with his gaze darting around.

Arashi, however, got a starry-eyed look as he always did when excited and shortly exclaimed, "Whoa! This is crazy! This looks like a completely different place!"

Delphi chuckled at their reactions. "Oh, you're noticing the spatial oddities," she said. "Isn't it exciting? Magic comes easy to a witch like me!"

That certainly shed some light on what was up. Still, Astrid could only blink, completely unsure of what to make of it.

"… Duly noted…" Raijin's voice trailed off as he still studied both the Delphox and the shop's interior.

"I like this place," Arashi happily declared.

"No need to be shy," Delphi amiably noted, beckoning them over. "We all know why you're here. Come a little closer.~"

They did so, Astrid and Arashi hopping up on the table, the Dartrix still fluffed up and silent as could be, while Raijin still kept a bit of distance, looking uncertain of how to approach a Delphox that _wasn't_ a murderous pawn.

Delphi smiled at them. "A basic prediction will run you 300. Is that agreeable?"

Astrid and Arashi shared a glance and nodded at each other.

"Wonderful!" chirped the Delphox, holding her wand up in front of her face and igniting the tip. The flame wasn't particularly intimidating, for which the Dartrix closest to it was thankful, but after a moment of staring into it, Delphi put it down. "Hm, it's a bit fuzzy at the moment…" then looking over her shoulder, she called, "Stellar!"

At her call, the back curtain rustled a bit and out poked a Shinx, which Astrid assumed was the 'Stellar' in question.

"Stellar, bring me the cards," Delphi instructed before turning back to the Starstorm trio and grinning. "They'll shed some light on what was, is, and will be."

They certainly had no objections, even if they had no idea what 'cards' she referred to. The Shinx vanished momentarily behind the curtain again, then came traipsing back out with a deck of cards held carefully in his mouth which Delphi retrieved and began to shuffle. Astrid watched with intrigue, catching small glances of embossed patterns and delicate details on them that certainly piqued her interest as to what they entailed. Her feathers began to deflate as she observed.

"Now," said the Delphox, "Before we do this, what is your intention for this session? In other words, what will I be predicting for you?"

The Starstorm trio shared glances.

"W-well, I think there's a pretty obvious question we all have…" Astrid mused.

"Go for it," Arashi concurred.

"If we're on the same page, you're definitely right…" Raijin likewise agreed.

Astrid nodded, then looked back to Delphi.

"About your interference with Void, yes~?" Delphi chirped before the Dartrix could say anything.

They were all taken aback for a moment, as none of them had breathed a word about their dealings to anyone but each other or their comrades within Coalition HQ walls. The Delphox before them didn't seem fazed at all, for she still smiled at them seemingly without a care in the world. Raijin twitched a bit at the mention, and Astrid went fluffing up again.

Delphi, though, chuckled. "Oh, don't be alarmed.~ I _am_ a psychic, after all! That's why you came to see me, isn't it?"

Astrid deflated again, albeit not completely. "Y-you're right. We w-wanna know about Void."

"Lovely," Delphi said, spreading the cards face-down on the table. "Let's start by assigning you all a Major Arcana. Who wants to go first?"

Arashi immediately put his hand in the air. Delphi chuckled and set to scouring his mind for a bit, before seemingly instinctively reaching down to the deck and removing another card that she showed to him: a deep purple sky in the background with a calm blue sea in the front that a silhouette, not quite resembling any particular Pokémon, dipped one foot into while lots of small stars and one very large golden star glittered overhead. It was quite a pretty and serene sight.

"You're the Star," Delphi noted. "The Star represents realization of the endless possibilities in life, feeling connected to the core of your being, and throwing away whatever beliefs may have been holding you back. You know who you are, and you're reaching for the stars."

The Frogadier nodded. "That's me, alright!" he enthusiastically agreed.

Delphi's nonchalant gaze turned on Raijin next. "Let's find yours next, Raijin."

The Xurkitree nodded, and she did the same, quickly scanning his thoughts over before reaching down and swiping up another card. It was another figure, but a robed one, with one hand reaching up towards the dark sky and another pointing down at the ground. A table in the foreground held what appeared to be a silver cup, silver sword, golden wand, and a golden pentacle symbol. It looked rather esoteric.

"You're the Magician," Delphi explained, then pointing one claw at the table holding the four objects, "As you can see here, the Magician has everything he needs to make his goals a reality… it's just a matter of using these tools well. You can see here by the arms pointing in different directions that the Magician is a conduit between the spiritual and physical realms… or, one might say, an emissary between two worlds."

Raijin studied it for a moment, then likewise nodded. "… I see."

Delphi's eyes fell on Astrid after. "And that leaves you, Astrid.~"

Astrid wanted to sink into her feathers, but she didn't make a peep as Delphi combed her mind next. Deftly, Delphi reached down and retrieved another card from the spread, which depicted a silver-armored silhouette standing in what appeared to be a golden chariot drawn by two other quadrupedal figures that resembled Pyroars, but it was impossible to tell for sure what they were. There was a large wall in the background, and a starry crown on the rider's head.

"And you're the Chariot," said the Delphox. "As I'm sure you can tell, the Chariot is a brave warrior. He- or she, in your case- knows how to steer towards the right path to take and knows how to make decisive calls. This card represents taking action rather than merely hoping things will pan out as you'd like them to, and so long as you stick to the direction you know is best, you'll succeed."

Astrid blinked for a second, then too nodded. That had been exactly what Necrozma had warned her _not_ to do- be passive and hope everything worked out. It made sense to her.

"So with that, let's get on with the reading," Delphi suggested, giving the cards another quick shuffle as she added the three she'd taken back in before spreading them out again. "I'll have you pick three. Astrid, go ahead and choose the first one. Pick whichever one you feel drawn to, whichever feels like a good choice."

The Dartrix did so, looking them over and then tapping one with her foot. Delphi withdrew it and laid it face-down in front of the spread-out deck.

"Same for you two," Delphi said, looking to Arashi and Raijin.

Arashi picked one, which Delphi laid on one side of Astrid's, then Raijin, the other card being placed on the other side. Delphi gathered the rest up and set the deck's remnants to one side, then flipped the chosen cards over. The one that Astrid had drawn depicted a heart with three silver-embossed swords jabbed through it; the one Arashi drew depicted a robed figure surrounded by nine floating golden cups; the one Raijin drew was upside down, but depicted another hooded figure sitting under a tree with what looked like a fluffy cloud holding out a golden cup while three other cups sat on the ground.

Delphi studied them intently, apparently trying to piece them together, but went back to grinning shortly. "… My.~ How interesting.~"

"What do they mean?" Arashi inquired, looking them over inquisitively. "Is it bad?"

Astrid couldn't help but be a bit alarmed at the one she'd drawn- it seemed far more grim and macabre than she would've liked at face value.

"Bad? I wouldn't say so," the Delphox replied, not too bothered. "Let's start with Astrid's. The sword suit represents intellect, our thoughts, and the processes by which we put our thoughts into action… very fitting that you would draw one, Astrid.~ The Three of Swords that you see here symbolizes separation, heartbreak, and, shall we say, cutting straight to the heart of the matter."

The Dartrix whimpered with wide eyes; two of those three aspects _certainly_ had not been a pleasant thing to hear and the last was questionable. Arashi gave her a slightly dismayed look too, and one of the Frogadier's hands was giving her wing a pat moments later.

"Don't be too put off by that; there's still two other cards here in the spread," Delphi chuckled on seeing her discomfort. "Let's look at Arashi's. The suit of cups entails feelings and senses of connection… again, very fitting, seeing as those two things come easily to you.~ The Nine of Cups indicates feeling satisfied with your life, getting what you want, and a strong sense of purpose."

Arashi's face lit up on hearing that, and his hand that wasn't on Astrid's wing balled up into a triumphant fist that he put in the air. "Hey! That sounds great!"

That certainly assuaged the Dartrix after hearing such a terrible meaning for the first card. Raijin perked up at the positivity too.

"It does, doesn't it?" Delphi chuckled. "Now, let's look at Raijin's. This is another cup, and it's reversed. A reversed card isn't necessarily a bad thing, but specifically, a reversed Four of Cups would entail avoidance of someone that's very important to you."

The Xurkitree nodded, touching his fingers together contemplatively.

"Those are the components, but we have to put those together to see the entire picture," Delphi amiably noted. "Rest assured, you'll have triumph in some regard, but it's not going to be fun or pleasant. All three of these cards together do entail what you'll be experiencing as a team, but those cards that you specifically drew affect you more than anyone else. In other words, you'll all be feeling separation, triumph, and avoidance, but to different levels. Astrid might wind up separated from those close to her, Arashi might be proud of your overall accomplishments, and Raijin might be avoiding someone that isn't necessarily Void herself, but you all can't overlook the bigger picture. You have to stay focused."

They all nodded, thinking it over for a second. Astrid tried thinking of in what ways that could manifest, and aspects like 'grief' and 'separation' definitely didn't seem to entail anything pleasant. The sword suit might have been fitting, but if a card with such a specification had been the one she was drawn to…

However, Delphi picked her wand up again and ignited it, staring into the tip. "Let's see here if it's clearer…~" her voice trailed off as she gazed into the future. "It is!"

"Oooh, what do you see?!" Arashi exclaimed, staring at the flame himself albeit to no avail.

The Delphox chuckled. "They're a bit disconnected, but they're clear. I see a very frightened Dartrix in a cave backing into a corner with wide eyes; I see another Delphox- Salem, obviously- making a mad dash through a forest and calling for someone off in the distance; in another is a Mega Charizard Y that Raijin is attempting to down with some lightning bolts; and in the last… there's a very downcast Decidueye staring at the ground and completely ignoring a smiling Greninja trying to get her to say something, which would be Astrid and Arashi."

Arashi got starry eyes again at the mention of evolving, and Astrid seemed intrigued too, but regardless, the turn of events that Delphi described made them all perk up.

"Who's Salem calling for?" Arashi inquired. "And why's Astrid sad in the last one? Can you tell?"

Delphi gazed some more, then answered, "Let me see… It sounds like Salem is saying 'Remi,' but the voice is a bit drowned out."

That caught their attention too, and Astrid and Arashi both looked to Raijin, who gave a twitch of discomfort.

"_That's_ a deadly combination…" the Xurkitree's voice trailed off.

"As for the last one… I can't see much more than that," Delphi noted, the flame going out.

They didn't like not having closure on it, but they had to accept it nonetheless, though Astrid was definitely confused as to what could make her completely ignore her partner. He may have been far more conversational, but to completely ignore him while he tried to reach her was a bit ridiculous.

However, the Dartrix piped up with something else, sounding likewise uncertain about it. "That Mega Charizard must be Zariel…"

Both she and Arashi shared some awkwardly uncomfortable looks. Their lives certainly would've been more peaceful without both Zariel and Azure, but Zariel with a Charizardite Y was a disturbing picture indeed. If anything, the fact that Delphi saw Raijin and not them dealing with her made them feel a little better, but still, Astrid figured that for all they knew that could have merely meant Zariel had already charred them both and their Xurkitree comrade was next.

"Mega Evolution makes an already aggressive Pokémon more aggressive, right…?" Raijin inquired, tapping his fingers together.

"Sure does," Arashi answered. "Heck, even a nice one can fly off the rails depending on the species and circumstances."

Raijin nodded. "Duly noted."

Delphi, though, gave another playful giggle and lit her wand again, staring into it. "Let's look at something _else_ a little closer, shall we? Let's see how your next few missions will go."

That was certainly agreeable too.

"Hmm…" the Delphox hummed, gazing at whatever was visible that the rest couldn't see. "Oh, dear! Starry Peak is a _definite_ no-go! You'll get wiped out and meet some _horrible_ creatures there!"

Yet again, they were all perking up at the prediction.

"And let's see… Ah! Sunken Cavern won't be kind to you either," Delphi continued. "I see shaking walls, shaking ground, and all three of you are very scared. Be on your guard if you go there."

They nodded, casting each other some knowing glances. Delphi gazed a bit more, but shortly, the flame on her wand went out and she put it down.

"That's all you need to be wary of for now," the Delphox said. "But as always, if you have any other matters to be addressed, I'm here.~ Why don't you come back when you've evolved to a more _intimate_ reading, dears~?"

She giggled, giving Astrid and Arashi both a pat, to which the two of them blushed.

"We will," Arashi said nonetheless.

They gave her the coins necessary and strode back out, but not before the Delphox called, "Have a good day before your impending demise!"

Silently, they all hoped _that_ wasn't part of any prediction, but nonetheless, once back outside, they shot each other some knowing looks.

"We can do this," Astrid said softly but firmly. "That's all that matters… we can do this."

Two nods answered her, the Frogadier giving her a pat on the wing with a grin. Of course, they might have been mulling over the prediction and their individual parts, but nonetheless, they were all resolved to not lose focus.

Of course, deep in Ultra Space, a certain Nihilego was mulling things over too, feeling a bit upset at her lack of another ultimate weapon… but she wouldn't be losing focus either, nor would the poisoned underlings she commanded with her sweetly metallic voice.


	29. Chapter 29: Meanwhile in Tranquil Town

The next morning in Tranquil Town was as quiet as could be, however. The torched forest still loomed in the distance, the embers having died down into a sheet of dark ash that scattered about over the ground, but thankfully, Salem hadn't seen it fit to burn anything else while looking for her targets. Still, the outskirts were fairly barren of anyone venturing out, and the wanted poster for the maniacal Delphox had been updated fairly quickly with all of the relevant information- that she had indeed reached a final evolution stage, who her underlings were, and the uncanny abilities she made use of with reckless abandon.

Nonetheless, in a certain Nidoking's cozy hut, the figures of an Inteleon and Greninja took up at his table too, looking very downcast. Kaminari's arm was almost completely obscured under bandages, the webbing on her hand no longer looking charred but nonetheless bearing some discoloration and warping from Salem's heat. It had certainly looked far worse in the days prior, but there was still healing to occur before it would be fine again.

"Now, that old saying 'no news is good news' might not be applicable here, but ya gotta have a little faith," Nez cooed, smiling sympathetically while pouring three cups of tea. "That's all we can do right now- hope for the best. Your boy and Astrid aren't _completely_ helpless, we've seen."

"Oh, I do hope for the best, Nez," Niles replied, gentle but melancholy. "But there's only so many options left when they're nowhere to be found hiding in the surroundings and their bodies aren't among the ash."

"I'll cut that Delphox's eyes out and shove them down her throat if I ever see her again," Kaminari hissed, glaring down at the table. "The gods only know what's happened to Astrid, and things are far too quiet without Arashi…"

Nez gently reached out and gave them both a pat on the shoulder, but at that moment, a frantic knocking came at the door, to which he quickly jumped up and darted over. "Comin'!"

Niles and Kaminari both perked up, and their company outside was shortly revealed to be Lucy the Swoobat courier with her bag haphazardly swung across her body and a letter grasped in one of her feet, her countenance a bit frantic.

She practically vomited out the words that followed. "Hey, Nez, you know where Niles and Kaminari are? Normally I'd just drop the mail off, but this one looks, well… It's _really_ important!"

Nez was about to answer, but swiftly, Niles strode over to the doorway to see what the matter was, and the Swoobat practically shoved the letter at him as fast as she could.

"It's your kid," Lucy said quickly. "Or at least, I'm damn sure it is."

At that, Kaminari practically leaped out of her chair too to see what Lucy brought, and all three sets of eyes on the inside of the cottage were shooting wide open. Niles quickly flipped the letter around to see who it was from, and some handwriting they recognized had apparently scrawled out rather hastily "The One and Only" along with a little doodle of a happy face. It might not have been Arashi's name, but it was _definitely_ Arashi's antics. They couldn't help but stare for a second.

Nonetheless, Niles' gaze snapped up to the Swoobat. "Th-thank you, Lucy!"

"I knew they'd pull through," Lucy said. "Y'all take care!"

She was darting off again, and Nez pulled the door shut while Niles tried to rip the envelope open as fast as possible. All three of them practically had their eyes glued to the pages inside.

"To Mom and Dad (and whoever else)-

"We're alright! Me and Astrid are perfectly fine! We're at Craggy Crossroads right now and probably staying there for a while, so don't worry if you don't see us around! Astrid said returning home would be a stupid idea and Salem would probably burn the town down if we did, and she's probably right. No one wants Tranquil Town to get torched and we don't want to be caught so easily, so we're staying away.

"But let me be the first one to say, you would not BELIEVE the things that have happened! We made it into the forest and tried to run away, but you know that creature that Astrid was terrified of that we just called 'the beast?' Well, he intercepted us and knocked us out, but it turns out, he's actually really nice and not bad at all! He's from a place called Ultra Space in another dimension, where they have these beings called 'Ultra Beasts' instead of Pokémon, and he's part of a species called 'Xurkitree.' He came to save us from Salem and apparently he's been trying to keep her cronies away from us this entire time Astrid's been here, so after we talked for a while, we decided he should join our team. He didn't have a proper name, so I called him Raijin and he really likes it! So next time you see us, don't attack him because first of all, he's our friend, and second of all, he's WICKED strong and would probably win that fight. I'm glad he's actually on our side and not Salem's!

"But, speaking of Salem, it turns out she's not even the one we should be focusing on! You know how I mentioned Ultra Space and the Ultra Beasts? Well, it turns out, there's a certain kind of parasitic Beast called 'Nihilego' that can control whatever intelligent creature they get ahold of with their poison, and there's this specific Nihilego named Void that's using Salem as her host. THAT's why Salem has such weird powers, because it's Void's poison that she's burning in her fire that make Pokémon go crazy, and Void's done the same thing to almost every living Beast on Ultra Space to make them do whatever she wants. This world is the next one on her list to take over, so that's why Salem's been making trouble for everyone else. Raijin told us everything about it, because he used to be under her control too… which is crazy to think about since he's so chill, but I guess it really happened!

"And you wouldn't believe what he told us about Astrid, either! See, Void's got such a huge force that she's backed the Ultra Space equivalent of our major legendaries- theirs are called Necrozma, Solgaleo, and Lunala- into a corner and they're at a stalemate, so Necrozma originally summoned a human from another world in a Pokémon's body since there was literally no one left on Ultra Space… and that human was Salem! But Void beat Salem too, and since Salem is both human and Pokémon and Nihilegos can merge with humans, she's been merging with Salem and using her as her strongest pawn ever since. So when Salem failed, Necrozma went looking for someone else and picked Astrid! Raijin was originally supposed to be her partner, but I guess I'm just REALLY lucky, since she freaked out at seeing a Beast and I got to meet her instead! That's why Salem (and Void) wanted her, because she's like Salem and Void could use her, but none of us are letting that happen and Astrid's all 'Down with the tyrant!' too. I KNEW there was something special, but hearing that my partner was specifically picked by Ultra Space's version of Arceus… It's a dream come true and I couldn't be happier!

"Well, actually, scratch that, because I AM happier! We ran into none other than the Expedition Coalition while we were trying to make a break from Salem, and us three ended up joining their team too! We're still going by our Team Starstorm title, but it's official, WE'RE IN! I couldn't believe it was real, but this is literally everything I ever wanted! You know, Astrid fusses at me every time I say that it's a good day because something bad always happens, but I can write it here: today is a good day!

"We'll come back and visit once it's safe, but we don't know when that will be. Maybe Trixie will stop calling us useless posers now, since we're about as legit as can be! (And if she doesn't, I'm sure Charlie can shut her up.) If it rains, Lila and Raijin would probably have a lot of fun together launching bolts and all, but his Discharge would probably scare the daylights out of Veeko. I'm already making some new friends over here in the Crossroads, but obviously, I'm not gonna forget anyone from Tranquil Town! You know how Astrid is, staying fluffed up whenever anything new happens, but I can tell she's happy too. Between her and Raijin, I couldn't ask for better teammates! I AM SO PUMPED!

"Excitedly,

"Arashi, Expedition Coalition… it feels so cool to write that! (And no, I'm not lying!)"

Their eyes got wider and wider the more they read, but even without the name signed at the end, there was definitely no mistaking who it was from, and rather shortly, the three of them were back at Nez's table before anyone could collapse in a crying heap on the floor. Kaminari couldn't help bawling into her hands in relief and Niles patted her on the back, getting misty eyes himself. Nez wasn't far behind, tears of solace and happiness streaming down all of their faces.

"That's a lot to unpack, but they're alright…!" the Greninja choked out.

"That's all that matters- they're alive," Niles concurred, still staring at the letter.

"Aye, those little youngsters…!" Nez said with a smile.

Still, it took a bit of time to get a handle on their feelings again, but when they did, the three of them were rather silently sipping their cups of tea and still staring at the letter as if it were simply too good to be true.

"Now, maybe I shouldn't be askin', but what's this about Astrid being a human…?" Nez softly inquired. "Is that what ya couldn't tell us…?"

Niles nodded. "That's right, Nez. That was quite a bold claim to make at first, so we kept it quiet for her own well-being in case there was a more serious underlying cause, and, well… You know how it is now. There's hardly a point in keeping that a secret anymore."

The Nidoking nodded. "Well, I guess that would explain the Beastie giving me such a walloping when I tried to post those flyers."

"And if what Arashi says is true, then I'm glad they've got a new comrade out of it to help them," Kaminari remarked. "And I suppose they have more than that if they're part of the Coalition now, too."

Nez giggled, taking a sip before happily remarking, "Hah! Your boy went and did what he's always wanted to in that case! The lad must be so happy!"

Niles grinned. "He's probably bouncing off the walls… literally."

Of course, it was fairly easy for them to imagine the Frogadier waiting until his idols were out of sight, and then proceeding to dart around the room triumphantly… which hadn't been too far off from what his actual reaction was. The ones in the cottage were certainly more upbeat with the news that the youngsters had pulled through fine and were seemingly flourishing, but in any case, the mentions of Void's agenda and Salem's power source weren't anything they ignored. Niles took special note of it and Kaminari couldn't help thinking of how best to thrash a symbiont bent on world domination.

Still, the news was something they couldn't merely keep to themselves.

* * *

"This is stupid," Charlie remarked, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side.

Trixie didn't pay his remark any mind, stubbornly clinging to the tip of a rock and reaching up at a Geodude observing her from a more comfortable crevice. "C'mon! I totally had it before this one did!" she protested, shooting the Geodude a shifty grin.

"If you did, it wouldn't be sitting on a rock holding it," the Aipom objected.

The Rock Pokémon in question simply seemed to stare at Trixie bewilderedly, a Nanab berry comfortably tucked under one arm while the Croagunk tried to get closer in an attempt to 'reclaim' it. Verdant Meadow was peaceful as always, though a simple rock sitting near a berry tree had turned out to _not_ be a rock when Trixie tried to pick the lone pink and yellow fruit growing off of it. Perhaps the Geodude had been guarding its favorite berry tree, but of course, they had no idea. One way or another, Trixie hadn't been successful.

"Hey! I had my hand on it and then this rock suddenly turns out to be a Geodude that snatches it before I could get a grip?! Nah, it's mine!" Trixie objected in return.

Charlie simply shook his head. Trixie's hand inched a little closer as she reached as far as she possibly could, but yet again, it was all for naught when the Geodude balled up its other fist and knocked her over the head with it, causing her to lose her balance and tumble back to the grass. Charlie couldn't help but smirk.

"_Ow!_ Don't be such a-!" Trixie protested.

"_You guys!_ Arashi sent word back! They're alright!" a certain Jolteon's voice cut her off.

Both Charlie and Trixie glanced back, slightly caught off guard by Lila's sudden call, but nonetheless, the Jolteon darted up to them with her little brother close behind, a letter in his mouth and his smaller legs struggling to keep up with Lila's frenzied speed.

"W-wait, _what?_" Charlie stammered, as if not completely sure of the words he'd just heard. "But Salem went and burned down a huge chunk of the forest trying to find them! How do we know for sure?!"

"Hold up!" Trixie exclaimed, likewise perking up in interest. "I thought _no one_ could find 'em! They just went and disappeared! Do we know where they are _now?!_"

Lila nodded, spreading the letter out for them to see once Veeko put it down from his panting mouth. They too were glued to it shortly, likewise getting wide-eyed. The Jolteon had to read it out for the little Eevee, who still needed some more explanation for what a 'human' was and what 'parasitic' meant. He got a bit timid and tried to hide under Lila's belly again when he figured out the meaning.

Still, at the end of it, Trixie couldn't help but remark, "Ehehe! They've graduated from being _useless_ posers to just plain old posers~!"

A slap from Charlie's tail-hand to the back of her head shut her up.

"And Astrid's a human that's not from this world," the Aipom said, mostly to himself. "No _wonder_ she was so on-edge and clueless…"

"And no wonder Arashi was so happy at making a team with her," Lila mused. "I never would've guessed anything like that was even possible."

"But… the Expedition Coalition goes on scary missions…" Veeko's voice trailed off, his tail wrapping around the rest of him as best it could. "That doesn't sound like fun at all…"

Trixie giggled. "It is to _some_ 'Mon, Veeko!"

The little Eevee still didn't seem very convinced.

"I bet they're gonna come back with all kinds of wild stories," Lila said, folding the letter back up with one of her front paws. "_Whenever_ they come back… I'm glad to know they're okay, but by the gods does it feel strange without Arashi bouncing everywhere and Astrid fluffing up at almost everything. It hasn't been long, but… I miss those two."

Charlie crossed his arms, getting a little smile but looking slightly downcast. "Tranquil Town is _too_ Tranquil…"

Again their Croagunk pal went to giggling her voice flippantly trailed off, "And if they were here, Arashi would be agreeing with you and Astrid would fluff up again…~ Sheesh, this feels _weird!_"

They were all in agreement. The news that their friends were alive and relatively well was welcome news in and of itself, but nonetheless, knowing it might be awhile before they ever saw them again was bittersweet. Lila had no trouble acknowledging that indeed, a round of bolt-launching with the new Starstorm addition sounded fun, which Veeko looked rather startled at. Obviously it would be some time before that could ever happen, but nonetheless, whenever it was safe for their Frogadier and Dartrix buddies to make a trip back home, they'd be waiting.

However, elsewhere…

**Whispering Lowlands 13F**

The dungeon hadn't been named for actual whispering, the Starstorm trio had determined, but rather the flapping of bug wings and the occasional mirages of wild Kirlias. A fainted Masquerain was laid over in a corridor, some freezing dust from Arashi's Ice Beam still clinging to its wings, and in the room behind it was a Kirlia that fainted from taking one too many Steel Wings. The soil on the ground was tinted a slight pink, a rather odd sight compared to everything else in the surroundings, and the trees making up the dungeon walls were full of yellow and white flowers that smelled rather sweet. Of course, some wild Ribombees and Beedrills certainly took a liking to the blooms as well, and reacted negatively whenever the Starstorm trio intruded upon their territory… but it was manageable. Their target would surely be easy enough to find.

Astrid's eyes scanned around for any sign of a Salandit, fainted or otherwise, that would surely be out of place among the bugs, psychics, and fairies. They'd located the stairs, but nonetheless, a hapless reptilian youngster named 'Dazzle' was what they searched for in the later floors.

"Hey! Dazzle, are you here?" Arashi called on entering the next room.

Very quickly, some rustling came from the limbs overhead, followed by a tired-sounding but happy exclamation. "Oh, Arceus above, finally a voice I can _understand!_"

The face of a Salandit peered down at them from one of the limbs overhead, the rest of the little reptilian body obscured by a myriad of petals and leaves. Arashi giggled and gave a wave, and just a bit more of the black and grey figure poked out.

"Did Mom send you to rescue me?!" the Salandit bleated haplessly, shaking her head, "Oh, I thought she was wrong, but she wasn't! I really _can't_ handle this place by myself…!"

Another giggle from the Frogadier. "Well, we _are_ here for you! Come on down and let's get out of here!"

Dazzle's head disappeared back into the flowers, and more rustling followed that they traced along the ceiling to the dungeon wall, where she skittered back down a tree trunk and over to them. Astrid didn't say a word, figuring she didn't need to with her partner present.

"Are you alright?" Raijin inquired, studying the Salandit a bit. "Seems like you were hiding…"

"I totally was!" Dazzle replied, sounding a bit exasperated. "My friend Razzle told me that the Ribombees were nice and would share their pollen puffs, but _nnnnnope!_ I thought Mom was just being condescending when she said I wasn't ready for solo dungeon-crawling 'cause she just gets her harem to do everything for her, but _nnnnnope!_ Those Kirlias and their Pysbeams are just… ugh!"

Perhaps having a larger group to handle fighting and food-gathering _would_ make things quite a lot easier, Astrid figured.

Arashi chuckled a bit, giving her a pat on the head. "Well, did you get any pollen puffs?"

Again she was looking rather flustered, her tail whipping around with little scattering embers. "Oh, I got some, alright! The _exploding_ kind, not the fluffy and good-tasting kind! And I thought I was supposed to be good at dealing with bugs, but _jeez!_"

Another giggle came from the Frogadier. "Well, don't worry! If any more Ribombees try throwing their pollen bombs, you got us to deal with 'em!"

A sigh of utter relief left Dazzle's mouth, and they set off towards the stairs with Astrid leading the way and Dazzle sticking close between her and Arashi. The Salandit's tail flicked about happily, a few tiny flames burning along the red stripe, but she wasn't emitting any pheromone-laden gas. Nonetheless, Dazzle certainly didn't have to, for the Starstorm trio wasn't intending to let her to expend any moves on foes anyway.

"I'm telling Razzle that he's a filthy liar and _he_ should get Psybeamed!" Dazzle fussed, grinning nonetheless. "Ugh, I just wanna go home and tell my buddies how jacked up this was!"

"Hey, us three can relate to that too," Arashi chuckled, shooting the Salandit a glance back.

Astrid and Raijin both knew what he was referring to, but just like the hapless Dazzle, they knew they'd have to get through the current ordeal first.

Astrid had to admit, even as nice as the Crossroads had turned out to be and how much more secure it was by comparison, she missed nestling up in a basket on Arashi's shelf, all tucked away inside a cavern on the beach… Maybe it wasn't anyplace a Dartrix otherwise would've been, but Tranquil Town definitely felt like a 'home' if she ever had one in the world she'd been sent. Raijin probably felt out of place in their world, too… Arashi didn't seem too bothered one way or another, but surely he wouldn't want to stay away forever, Astrid figured.

Still, they could only guess when their concerns wouldn't be necessary anymore.

* * *

_**Author's note**: Hello again, folks; I'd just like to chime in for a moment here. I have a semblance of regularity back to my schedule now, so this will again return to being my 'weekend project,' but due to how things are on my end, that doesn't necessarily mean I'll _only_ be writing on the weekends (at least, writing things that are not lab reports). But, that being said... I'd also like to say that I finished up the draft for chapter 30 today and also began on chapter 31, and while this was mostly a 'catch-up' sort of chapter to touch on the Tranquil Town gang that I wanted to include, the REAL fun will be beginning shortly. Praise be to the Nihilego empress and her army of UBs._


	30. Chapter 30: An Invasion's Beginnings

All seemed well as night descended on the Crossroads and the Starstorm trio headed off to sleep (or rather, sleep for two and dormancy for one), nothing out of the ordinary to speak of, yet sometime between midnight and the obscenely early hours of the morning where only wild Noctowls and Shuppets would be out stirring…

_*Astrid…? Can you-…*_

In her sleep, the Dartrix fluffed up a bit at hearing Necrozma's voice again. There was no blinding visage as there had been previously, and unlike the last time, their voice was back to being static-laden and distorted.

_*I can't hear you very well,*_ Astrid mused back, still drowsing off on her perch.

_* Apologies, it's getting harder to-… to keep the link up…!*_

She could certainly tell by their voice, for it sounded pained and frantic even behind the telepathy it was conveyed through. Oddly enough, it sounded like it was broken into two components, which she figured was reasonable given that there were two entities fused into one making up the blinding dragon's form… but it was certainly something she thought she would've noticed before. Perhaps Void's legions were being particularly unforgiving in their onslaught to cause it.

_*What's wrong?*_ the Dartrix inquired, concerned but still matter-of-fact.

_*It's Void,*_ came her answer. _*She's begun to-*_

Their voice cut out for a second, drowned out into static, making Astrid perk up even in her sleep. _*Necrozma?*_

It was a few moments of silence, but they returned. It was hard to make their words out, but listening as intently as she possibly could, Astrid managed to catch them. _*She's ceased to focus fully on me. What she's planning, I can't say, but the snippets of chattering from the Beasts surrounding me indicate that she's sending groups to your world.*_

Astrid tried to think up several meanings to such, and none of them entailed anything good- Void's poisoned hordes starting a full-blown usurp, several groups trying to hunt the Dartrix herself down after Salem's failure to drag her back to Ultra Space… None of the possibilities seemed appealing, especially since Necrozma still seemed backed into a corner regardless of where the forces were being concentrated.

_*As far as I can tell, she's still unaware that you know what's going on and that you've got Raijin… so if she's sending them to seek you out, do_ not _venture off without him. That's a risk we can't take.*_

_*I won't,*_ she affirmed.

_*Good. Be on your guard and-! GyaaAAAAaah-!*_

The yell and the dissipation of Necrozma's voice back into a drowned-out static-laden unintelligible mess made Astrid's eyes shoot open and her feathers fluff out, her gaze darting around a bit as if she might catch sight of the Blinding One even light years away in their tiny basement, but the only light she saw was Raijin's soft glow. Arashi was lightly snoring with a blissful grin on his face, and the gods only knew what he could be dreaming of.

The Xurkitree, however, noticed Astrid stirring and detached his limbs from the ground, inquiring softly, "You alright? Bad dream?"

She shook her head. "No… Necrozma."

Raijin twitched a bit in surprise. "R-really…? What… did they say?"

Astrid shook her head and fluffed a bit, trying to temporarily ward off her drowsiness. "Void's sending groups to this world. She apparently still doesn't know that you've told me everything, but… Necrozma says we should be careful in case they're trying to hunt me down."

Raijin nodded, then strolled closer and gave one of her wings a pat. "If they are, they better be able to take a few Discharges."

"A-ah…" her voice trailed off, her head too giving a nod. The slight electrical vibrations of the Xurkitree's hand made her a bit more alert, but nonetheless her voiced haplessly trailed off, "Can we talk more in the morning…? I'm… kinda out of it…"

"Yeah."

Almost as soon as Raijin's hand left her, she was drowsing off again.

* * *

In the morning, though, they were darting up the stairs to meet everyone again almost as soon as they awoke, and the day's missions were delegated out again. Team Starstorm would be heading to Sunken Cavern to apprehend Harold the Abomasnow, an outlaw wanted for blindsiding expedition teams with sudden snowstorms then stealing their items. The dungeon's name alarmed Astrid a bit, but thankfully, they were assured by Lazuli that, despite the name, the dungeon wasn't completely submerged. Rather, like Lake Lucent, they could merely expect to see quite a few pools and species native to them that didn't fully traverse solid ground, and the name itself came from the cavern's location 'sunken' below the earth. That was fine with them, and the Starstorm trio stowed a Drought Orb in the bag along with some other necessary supplies (namely food) just in case they'd need it, seeing as the Azumarill had business elsewhere to attend to (otherwise she too would've accompanied to give her air balloons as needed). A certain Fletchinder apparently couldn't resist chiming in with "Pfft, you think they'll come back in one piece?" to which both Lazuli and Rush told him to shut up.

However, one thing Rush _did_ inform them of was that the Pokémon encountered there wouldn't be found in many places outside… seeing as they were all ancient species with mostly fossils left in their former habitats. That excited Arashi and intrigued Raijin, while Astrid thought of how their ancient physiology and habitat might have proved difficult to deal with. One way or another, _someone_ was wildly out of place… either the Starstorm trio in the dungeon, or the dungeon-dwellers in the outside world. She wasn't sure which possibility was more prominent.

Nonetheless, as they gathered up their items and prepared to leave, Adnea emerged from her study and floated down to them, her piercing gaze immediately catching their attention. Even if she was smaller than all three of them and rarely seen, somehow, she simply commanded their attention.

"Before you three head out, I want to ask a few questions," said the Orbeetle, crossing her arms. Her gaze fell on Raijin. "Specifically of _you._"

The Xurkitree twitched and shrank up a bit at the sudden attention from the researcher. "Y-yes…?"

"Is there any difference in the signs of Nihilego neurotoxin in a feral one as opposed to say, one of us?" Adnea inquired, practically staring holes through the Beast. "A wild one would exhibit strange levels of aggression and become fixated on their host even if they lacked the means to vocalize such, no?"

Raijin nodded, tapping his fingers together contemplatively. "Y-yes, they would… There aren't many completely feral Beasts on Ultra Space, but the ones that Void got ahold of would act ridiculously aggressive to everyone but their teammates until they started to grow out of it…"

Adnea nodded. "Lovely," she said, being lost deep in thought for a moment. "I ask because there's reason to believe the wild population around Starry Peak is acting under the influence of something else. They've been acting abnormally hostile, and in my own observations, there have been some very odd lights in the sky resembling what you call wormholes. Coupled with what you've told us and what Astrid was privy to last night, it's looking very suspicious."

All three of the Starstorm trio perked up, Astrid and Arashi getting wide-eyed and Raijin giving another twitch of surprise. The Dartrix and Xurkitree shared a quick glance, the words of Necrozma instantly coming to mind.

"I'm merely cataloguing it for now; someone _far _more eager to investigate is heading out there today to see what the matter is," the Orbeetle noted. "But seeing as this concerns you three quite a bit more than the general populace, I wanted to give you a heads-up. Rush and I will talk it over later as well."

The Starstorm trio nodded, sharing some glances among themselves.

Arashi, though, piped up, smiling but still slightly intimidated by Adnea's harsh aura. "_Who's_ going to investigate…? I mean, not to question you or anything, but…"

"If Beasts are out there, another Beast would be more apt to deal with them…" Raijin mused, still staying slightly huddled up.

Adnea wasn't fazed. "Take a step outside and you'll see," the Orbeetle replied rather matter-of-factly. "Don't let the cutesiness fool you… No one with _sense_ wants to get into a fight with that Blissey."

The mention of a Blissey brought a certain pink, happy, love-spouting someone to mind from days prior. Without another word, Adnea was floating off back to her study, and Team Starstorm had no reason to wait around. They were out the door soon thereafter, and outside, Dren was on the ground as opposed to his usual guard spot and conversing with the grinning Ama. Four other figures tagged along with her- Chira the Cinccino and Jingle the Drampa they'd also met, as well as Yunael the Togekiss and Millicent the Alcremie (of a ruby-tinted cream variety with heart-shaped candies adorning her head) that she'd mentioned.

"Oooh, I just can't wait!" Ama cooed, jumping and clapping her hands. "Those wild darlings at Starry Peak might be feeling awful and antsy, but I'll show them my love~! _Everyone_ needs some tender loving care~!"

Dren giggled. "Oh, you're the best at giving tender loving care to anyone, Ama."

The Blissey let out a happy squeal and went to give the Salamence a hug, but with her tiny frame against Dren's much larger one, she didn't succeed in doing much more than sticking one arm around one of Dren's forelegs. However, as she did so, she and her team noticed the Starstorm trio exiting the base, and she went happily squealing again before running up to them next.

"Oooh, and you three!" Ama cried, throwing an arm around them in similar fashion. "Yunael, Millicent! Aren't they lovely?! Oh, if I was a _giant_ Blissey, I'd tuck them all in my pouch and cuddle them!"

The Blissey's blissful touch and antics gave all three of them a feeling of Butterfrees in their stomachs… or at least, for Raijin, as close as he could feel to such. The Alcremie simply chortled happily and made a heart-shaped gesture with her hands while the Togekiss gave another similarly cheerful greeting, which Astrid shyly fluffed up at, Raijin returned with a simple wave, and Arashi gave his usual enthusiastic reply.

"You weren't lying, Ama! Those two little ones are _cute!_" Yunael exclaimed, taking to the air and perching again shortly… right on top of Raijin's head. "And this one's _beautiful!_ Just like a bright star out of a pretty night sky!"

Raijin froze at the sudden set of smallish feet on his head, then twitched in surprise when the Togekiss tilted over to look him straight in the eyes… or at least, where they _would_ have been if any were visible. With a nonchalant giggle, Yunael jumped off and landed on the ground before traipsing around Astrid and Arashi next, close enough to make the Dartrix blush a bright red underneath her feathers. The attention made Arashi grin, but Astrid and Raijin, on the other hand, seemed utterly taken aback. Still, such must not have been out of the ordinary, for no one else was flinching at Yunael's antics and the rest certainly seemed happy to give out affectionate touches.

"Where are you off to~?" Ama inquired, still smiling warmly and looking the Starstorm trio over.

"Sunken Cavern!" Arashi replied with a grin. "We're gonna catch an outlaw!"

"Oh, an outlaw!" the Blissey exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Those poor dears almost _never_ got enough love in their life! But I know you darlings will do well~ You _must_ be good at what you do if darling Rush saw it fit to recruit you!"

She giggled and clapped one more time before bidding them farewell and giving Dren one more hug, to which the Salamence also wrapped his tail around her.

"_May love and joy fill the world~!_" the Blissey called as she strolled off, her team in tow.

"_May love and joy fill the world!_" her comrades echoed, pumping their fists and wings in the air.

Astrid blinked and Raijin touched his fingers together, the two of them still stumped at Team Sweetheart's antics. Arashi, though, seemed absolutely entranced by all the happiness and affection.

"Is… Is Adnea serious?" Raijin asked haplessly. "They… _really_ don't seem threatening."

"I-is 'show them love' a eu-euphemism f-for 'bash their face in' or something…?" Astrid was likewise stupefied.

Dren couldn't help but laugh, giving them all a pat with his tail. "Oh, that's a common first impression, but no! Jingle especially loves playing with small children, but if you hurt one of those children, you'd better hope the gods have mercy on your soul because he sure won't. Chira uses her tails for cleaning, but they also double as weapons and the oil coating them makes her hard to get ahold of. You'd never pick up on Yunael's damaging capabilities if you only saw her out in town, because she's so peaceful. Millicent hardly ever utters a word, but the support she provides to her allies is irreplaceable. And Ama… Sure, she might be the most outwardly affectionate and blissful Pokémon you'll ever meet and she might have trouble with physical hits, but she completely shrugs off the strongest of special attackers and knocks out strong physical attackers with Counter, so if you go up against her, you better be _sure_ you can win. That Blissey is like an immoveable wall."

Still, the way they skipped along with Ama humming and singing at the lead did _not_ give off the feeling of an intimidating dungeon-crawling brigade, but they all catalogued that info nonetheless. Of course, they'd likely _never_ get into a fight with Team Sweetheart themselves, but Astrid had to admit that from the way Dren described it, their setup did seem formidable.

"She shrugs off strong special attackers?! Hah, Raijin, that's you!" Arashi exclaimed, looking starry-eyed. "I gotta tell Trixie about these guys when we get back, then maybe she'll see that the cutesy ones can be strong too!"

Astrid had to imagine that their Croagunk pal wouldn't change her mind and instead just make a vomiting gesture while laughing in her usual shifty manner.

"… Duly noted," Raijin mused.

Dren chuckled, and shortly, he was perched on the roof again while the Starstorm trio headed off to their destination.

"You guys ever wonder why the Coalition has a guard?" Arashi inquired once they were out of earshot, looking a bit intrigued. "I mean, none of the other teams here do, at least that we've seen! Dren doesn't really seem like the battling type, but still, I wouldn't just expect a Salamence with a Mega Stone to sit on the roof all day keeping watch!"

The other two perked up at the inquiry, likewise considering the possibilities.

"Well, he _did_ say that just flashing his Salamencite is enough to keep troublemakers away…" Astrid's voice trailed off. "I mean, from the sounds of it, Rush's heart is in a good place, but maybe he's got enemies from all these years of doing missions, like some angry outlaws or something…"

"_That_ would be cause for concern…" Raijin concurred.

Arashi, though, shrugged, still grinning. "I'll ask later. There's gotta be _some_ reason, aha!"

Indeed, there had to be _some_ reason. Ones as prominent as Rush and Rozen wouldn't have flippantly put a guard in place if there was no need for one, Astrid figured.

The Dartrix, though, piped up with something else. "… So, about last night."

The gazes of her comrades were locked on her.

"You had another vision, didn't you?" Arashi inquired. "Adnea made it sound that way."

"I did," Astrid replied. "Void is delegating her underlings elsewhere and sending groups to this world. We don't know _exactly_ what for, but… it's probably not to have tea parties and give everyone hugs."

The Frogadier still grinned, but his eyes practically bulged out of his head. "Whoa, really?! So are we gonna have to deal with poisoned Beasts now too?! Sheesh, Zariel and Azure were bad enough!"

"Maybe," Astrid noted. "Point is, they're here, and we should be ready in case they intercept us. Obviously, Raijin, you've got the most expertise in that area…"

The Xurkitree nodded. "Don't worry; you two can rely on me if we get confronted. I won't let them get ahold of you so easily."

Arashi looked relieved.

"And if it _does_ happen, Arashi, you and I need to pay close attention to our foes before we make any moves," the Dartrix said next. "If something happens to Raijin, we have to be able to manage, and if Raijin has trouble, we can't sit back either. We took care of Zariel and Azure on our own, but something tells me that faction groups, if they're composed as carefully as they seem to be, are in an entirely different league."

Her partner nodded. "We've got synergy and _they've_ got synergy, so ours has to outdo theirs!" he exclaimed, contemplative but determined.

"_Exactly_," Astrid concurred, though moments later, her voice was getting a bit more of a hesitant tone. "But there's also _another_ aspect… Raijin, you've been on this world since you ditched the faction, right? And you tried to play it off when Azure caught you off guard, right?"

"That's right," the Xurkitree affirmed, starting to sound a bit uneasy.

"So if Void is _just _starting to send groups here, and Azure knows you've _been_ here…" Astrid mused, carefully mulling things over with narrowing eyes. "It'd be obvious you weren't sent by Void and they might start to question it, especially since we'll probably end up fighting a Beast brigade if we meet one. What's that going to look like on Void's end if a faction group confronts us?"

Arashi started to look uncertain too, giving their comrade a glance.

"… Not good," Raijin answered, touching his fingers together. "One way or another, Salem would find out about me from Azure, and if Salem knows, then Void does too… She'd probably deem me a troublemaker for acting out of line while under her influence, but then she'd figure out that I vanished around the same time that the group of Beasts from Five-Zero to Eight-Three needed another dose… so she'd know I _wasn't_ under her influence when I disappeared. She's… gonna find out."

Astrid nodded, cataloguing that info too.

"What would they do to you if we got caught?" Arashi asked, a hint of hesitance in his tone. "If… If anything _really_ bad happened, anyway."

Raijin shook his head. "I have no idea," he said dismally. "I'm the only dissenter from _inside_ the faction, but the dissenting Beasts on the outside mostly got poisoned themselves or executed if whoever was dealing with them felt like that suited them better… I can't imagine Void would have much use for a traitor, to be honest, but she might poison me again out of spite and send me after you two just to undermine all of our efforts."

Neither one of those possibilities sounded very reassuring. Arashi whimpered, his grin turning awkward and unsettled.

Raijin turned his arm bearing the identification mark over and twisted the cable bearing it outwards, studying it for a moment before shaking his head again. "If I cut off the section with my identification on it, they'd know I was hiding something… Every Xurkitree has it in the same area. And if I cut my entire arm off, that'd _still_ raise questions…"

The Frogadier got wide eyes again and exclaimed, "_Whoa_ there, buddy! That's a little extreme, don't you think?!"

Astrid too fluffed out at such a casual suggestion of hacking an appendage off.

Raijin, though, didn't seem fazed. "… Not really. Not when it comes to Void."

"Hey, let's not go making any hasty decisions," Astrid piped up, fluffing out just a bit but keeping a calm voice. "It is what it is. We'll just have to see what happens if a Beast brigade attacks us. If there's one on Starry Peak like Adnea seems to think, then that's probably why Delphi told us to stay away. We still have a little bit of time to think this over."

That much, her comrades could agree with.

"Besides, Delphi told us to be careful here too," the Dartrix remarked, brushing one of the leaves on her face aside. "We aren't dealing with an upstanding, good-natured Pokémon as it is, and the dungeon-dwellers aren't of the usual persuasions. We don't need anyone getting knocked out on our side. And we don't need anyone _fainting from excitement_ at seeing ancient Pokémon, either."

She gave a pointed look to her partner, who gave a hapless laugh and stuck one arm behind his head, not minding too much.

**Starry Peak Summit**

However, on the highest cliffs of Starry Peak with the dungeon's exit to their sides, two amusedly giddy sets of eyes watched a wild Skarmory claw at a wild Florges, the latter making a huge fuss and trying to fight back to little avail, while another figure was more entranced staring at the reflections in the crystalline faces of several stone slabs. The mountainside was a lovely sight, full of flowers in all manner of bright colors and with reflective, sparkling stones jutting up where they didn't grow… but even in such exquisite surroundings, the growls and fussing of the wild occupants on the steep outer edges could be easily heard from every direction. A Pheromosa, the identification of UB02B-6003 rather prominent on her left arm and a satchel across her shoulders, nonchalantly swung her legs back and forth over the side of the mountain, and a Buzzwole with the mark of UB02A-0145 on his right arm looked down at the scenery below while striking a myriad of flamboyant poses. A Nihilego, marked UB01-7000 on the side of her bell, swayed back and forth in front of a larger set of reflective stones that rose at least twice as high as any of the Beasts stood, occasionally reaching one tentacle out to delicately touch her own visage reflected within them. A cube-shaped vessel with a long carrying strap, mostly black but with edges glowing a faint purple, rested haphazardly against one reflective stone slab, occasionally twitching just a bit but going right back to being motionless seconds thereafter, and the brigade paid it no mind.

"Pretty…~" the Nihilego cooed with a voice like a wind chime.

"Pffft, look at 'em go!" the Pheromosa laughed, pointing at the haplessly flailing Florges below. "Seven Thousand, you sure know how to get 'em going!"

The delicate, blue-tinted Beast swayed happily, hugging herself with her tentacle arms. "The ones in wild here, they only understand 'fight,' but they not understand why," she mused softly. "But that okay. Seven Thousand share enlightenment with everyone, just like Void want."

The swollen and flexing one skittered over beside Seven Thousand, likewise staring at his reflection and striking another ridiculous pose. "You're lookin' good, Seven Thousand! Sixty-O-Three, c'mon! All three of us look _super_ cool together!"

"Get a life, Fourteen-Five," the Pheromosa slyly brushed him off, giving him an incredulous grin. "For a team lead, you spend more time admiring your physique than you do checking the surroundings!"

"I recognize greatness when I see it!" the Buzzwole didn't care. "Besides, all you've done is watch the wild ones rip into anything that moves!"

"_I_ recognize greatness when _I_ see it!" Sixty-O-Three shot back.

"Pffft!" Fourteen-Five scoffed, _(very)_ gently grabbing Seven Thousand and placing her on his head before flexing again.

The Nihilego hummed happily, flattening out Fourteen-Five's antennae to comfortably perch, while Sixty-O-Three rolled her eyes. The swollen Beast looked as though he were wearing a bonnet far too large for his head with rather out-of-place blue locks of hair cascading down his back, but evidently, he liked it, for he kept right on posing. Seven Thousand giggled happily too, wrapping her tentacle arms around him in a hug.

"See?! Absolutely rad!" Fourteen-Five exclaimed. "You're just jealous of my cool hat!"

The one being worn as a hat giggled again, happily kicking her tentacle legs behind her.

"There is nothing to be jealous _of_, Fourteen-Five," their stick-slender comrade wasn't concerned. "We're here to look _for_ someone, not look _at_ ourselves! If we find the human and you're too busy posing to catch her, what're we gonna say?! Void would scold us, but if Salem or Remi found out, there'd be hell to pay!"

"No reason we can't do both!" the Buzzwole giddily shot back. "If we find the human, we can make a few triumphant poses after she's knocked out!"

"And with your antics, you'd be too busy posing to do any of the knocking out," Sixty-O-Three sarcastically remarked, going back to watching the Skarmory beating the daylights out of the hapless garden fairy.

However, a rather faint sound filled the air from the ground below that made both Sixty-O-Three and Fourteen-Five pause, on account of it not sounding threatening at all, but rather… sweet. Sweet and… loudly spirited. Seven Thousand floated back off of her comrade's head and shortly all three of them were clamoring up the rocky sides of the dungeon's exit to get a good look at what was approaching the entrance below. As soon as they saw, they were exchanging glances, the Pheromosa smirking wildly.

It was a pack of five with a Blissey at the head, all of them wearing the same pink ruffled scarves with a winged heart embroidered on them, and every single one of them was smiling happily. As they strolled along, it soon became plainly obvious that they were singing to a rather upbeat melody… or at least, four of them were, while the Alcremie kept her mouth shut and made hand gestures that seemed to go along with the words.

"Just how much love~?" the Blissey lead the refrain.

"All the love in the universe~!" the others sang back.

"Just how much love~?!" the Happiness Pokémon repeated.

"So much love, it'll seem absurd!"

The Cinccino broke into a solo next, appearing to use one of her fur scarves as a makeshift microphone. "In a world as big as this one, how is it that there's not enough?!"

"Just how much love~?" their team lead repeated.

"All the love in the universe~!"

"Just how much love~?!"

"So much love, it'll seem absurd!"

It was the Blissey's turn to break into a solo. "There is nothing that can't be fixed by a little love! And so to spread our happiness, we all say…~!"

"_Lots of love, lots of love, lots of love~!_"

"_What's that~?!_"

"_LOTS OF LOVE, LOTS OF LOVE, LOTS OF LOVE~!"_

A cheerful whoop erupted from them all once their song ended. The Beasts watching exchanged glances again before looking back down at the expeditioners, then back at each other. Just as quick, they were jumping back down to the summit's flatter peak, Sixty-O-Three giggling and Seven Thousand happily swirling in a circle.

"I recognize greatness when I see it, and I see a _great_ set of targets, ladies," Fourteen-Five declared, flexing triumphantly as he said such. "Those are expeditioners! We'll give them Void's enlightenment!"

"_Yes!_" Sixty-O-Three cheered, stepping back from her comrades and delivering a lightning-fast kick to the air.

"Seven Thousand like spreading enlightenment," the Nihilego mused softly but eagerly, clapping her tentacle arms delicately.

The team lead skittered over to the glowing-edged vessel and picked it up, tossing it like a ball for a quick moment before catching and holding it again. A small whimper came from it.

"You awake, little nebula?" the Buzzwole inquired of it. "We're gonna deliver a swift dose of superiority to a group of natives!"

"I-I am now…!" a tiny voice cried back from the vessel. "I'll be ready! If it's for Void, I'll do anything!"

Fourteen-Five struck a pose in the reflective stones one more time, still holding the vessel and getting an eyeroll from Sixty-O-Three in return. The next moment, he fitted the vessel's strap over his shoulders and the Buzzwole was skittering into Starry Peak's final room with his comrades close behind, while Team Sweetheart happily traipsed into the dungeon's entrance with smiles still on their faces.

_Someone_ was in for the fight of their life, that was for sure.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Team Sweetheart's song is sung to the tune of the chorus of "Rottara Rottara" (roughly transliterated to "Lotta Love Lotta Love") by the group Buono!, a very cutesy song by my standards. I simply couldn't resist putting that scene in. If anyone happens to know of any more cutesy songs, feel free to suggest them for spoofing purposes. (My tastes for metal and electronic music hamper my discovery of cutesiness, alas.)_


	31. Chapter 31: Serious Setbacks

There was a bit of bustling in town behind the Starstorm trio as they ventured further away, following a path leading south that appeared to be worn through the grass after years of traversing by other teams. The dungeon took a bit of walking to get to, winding through some forested sections of the area that eventually gave way to a marshier surrounding where the ground was a bit damp and the grass a bit tall but not irritatingly so. It certainly didn't seem like a place an Abomasnow would otherwise hang around had their target not been trying to hide.

Nonetheless, when they found a cave-like opening in the side of a small hill with some very odd carvings on the interior, they knew they'd reached their destination. They couldn't decipher most of the carved sections, as it was rather worn away in several places, but what snippets were visible resembled some rather crude drawings of strange, unfamiliar creatures and odd text that looked somewhat recognizable but couldn't quite be deciphered. It had all the looks of an ancient cavern, alright- there was no mistaking it. A stairwell in the center of the opening lead down into a damp, pure darkness, the air seeming almost akin to a thick fluid just from observing it.

As they made their way down, Astrid was keeping an eye out for anything that might have been lurking just beyond their range of visibility (which was more than usual due to Raijin's glow lighting up the surroundings).

The Xurkitree, though, piped up. "Say, I should probably mention… I'm not too familiar with 'fossil Pokémon.' I get that they're mostly extinct, but are they a cause for concern…?"

"Not in and of themselves, no," Arashi answered. "The evolved forms can be pretty strong, but that also goes for a lot of other Pokémon. Most of them are Rock-type, too."

"Which means we've all got a super effective move," Astrid noted.

Raijin nodded. "Duly noted."

**Sunken Cavern B1F**

When the staircase opened up into the first floor, the air still felt thick and heavy, likely due to the humidity given off from the deep blue pools in the ground that covered at least half of the room. Occasionally the surface of them would ripple from something stirring underneath, but by and large, they were still and the figures within obscured in murkiness. The ground underfoot was rather soft and dark soil interspersed with a few grey stones embedded in it that stuck up at odd angles, and though it seemed rich for growing, the dark green grass was only in scattered patches. Mostly dark brown stone made up the walls, some areas apparently made of carved bricks with more glyphs and etchings in them, but most of it was simply amorphous rocks that seemingly just so happened to fit together. Bright green vines or little tree shoots poking through cracked a few areas, some had little trickles of water that dripped down to the ground in a muddy puddle, and a few tree branches appeared to break through at the top. Still, most of the plant life was concentrated around the pool edges, where taller patches of grass sprouted and the occasional patch of reeds rose up. By and large, the place seemed to be an odd mix of cave and swamp, easily something that wasn't likely to be seen outside of a dungeon (and easily a place that one wouldn't expect to find an Abomasnow walking around without something being amiss).

"So we all remember Lake Lucent, right…?" Astrid inquired, surveying their surroundings as she headed for the nearest corridor.

"Hah! How could we forget?!" Arashi laughed.

"Yes," Raijin answered.

"The obvious exception there was the Shellos line, but most of the aquatic ones there didn't venture out of the water," the Dartrix noted. "I'm assuming that's not the case here, so we need to be careful about that if we get close to a pool, since something could easily jump out."

"_That's_ good to know," Raijin affirmed.

Arashi grinned. "I'll admit, I'm not exactly looking to get ensnared by an Omastar either, even if I'm fine with the water."

As if on cue, one of the pools began to ripple and shortly a splashing sound came as a bug-like figure with sharpened forelimbs jumped out- a Kabutops, hissing and twitching its scythes. The Starstorm trio instantly turned their attention on it, Astrid quickly readying a Razor Leaf.

"Like that," the Dartrix remarked.

A flurry of sharpened leaves flew at their shelled company, who Slashed at the air with a disgruntled cry and succeeded in shredding most of Astrid's attack.

"That's a Kabutops," Arashi noted, spitting an Ice Beam next. "They're Water- and Rock-types, and you don't wanna get caught up in their scythes… well, unless you _want_ to get slashed open and have them drink whatever comes out."

Raijin twitched a bit in surprise, and Astrid gave her partner a funny look. Maybe as wide as the universe stretched, _someone _would actively seek to have their body fluids drained by a scythe-like forelimb, but nonetheless, the odds seemed _exorbitantly_ small. There were far easier and less messy ways to have a terrible day, that was for sure.

The Kabutops, however, was set off by Arashi's Ice Beam and cloaked itself in water, dashing out in an Aqua Jet that the Starstorm trio in turn dashed to avoid. Arashi certainly had no trouble scrambling out of the way, but it was a very narrow miss for Astrid and Raijin, and the Shellfish Pokemon had to stop itself before smashing into the wall behind them. Nonetheless, in the short moment it was regaining its composure, Astrid hardened one wing and dove down, delivering a Steel Wing to its head that elicited a startled cry and made it Slash up at her next. A few feathers on her chest were cut loose, but luckily, her hardened wing could stave off the brunt of the damage before she made her escape. An Energy Ball from Raijin had the shelled wild one limp on the ground shortly thereafter.

"Well, if it's a Water-type, I don't suppose it would drink sparks," the Xurkitree mused, studying it. "But that must be unpleasant for anyone else…"

"Let's _not_ find out," Astrid said simply, heading for the corridor again.

Her comrades were in agreement.

**Sunken Cavern B3F**

The dungeon-dwellers didn't appear to be _particularly_ problematic, but of course, they weren't all that nice either. A Kabutops jumping out wasn't a particularly common sight, but the occasional Omanyte or Anorith swam up to the surface of the pools to attempt warding off the expeditioners with an Ancient Power or Water Gun. The Starstorm trio's attacks aimed at the water's top plane sent the unevolved ones scurrying more often than not, and seeing as the pools were the only area they could freely traverse, there was rarely a counterattack before the intruding targets were out of reach. On solid ground though, Armaldos and their hulking claws were far less forgiving, but still, as they traversed another room…

_Rrrrrumble!_

A somewhat intense shaking and cracking seemed to come from someplace else on the floor for just a moment, but died down almost as fast as it'd came. The trio perked up regardless, trying to determine the source.

"Do you two think that's an Earthquake…?" Raijin inquired, touching his fingers together. "If there's a bunch of Rock-types here, anyway, and it seems a lot of them can learn that move…"

"Well, the ground isn't shaking," Astrid noted. "We'd probably notice a lot easier if it was. Besides, I don't think there's a lot of fossil Pokémon that naturally learn Earthquake, unless the wild ones somehow get ahold of TMs…"

"Pfft, that'd take an expedition team getting KO'd while carrying a TM, and it'd be a dumb move to carry a TM into a dungeon instead of using it before you set off," Arashi mused, giggling a bit at the idea.

That seemed to assuage their comrade.

Arashi, though, kept grinning. "You know, I'm pretty glad that the likes of the fossil amalgams don't _actually_ exist. They'd be a pain!"

Astrid and Raijin perked up at those words next, the Dartrix turning her head around to give her partner a glance.

"… Amalgams…?" Astrid inquired.

"You mean, like… more than one in the same form?" Raijin was likewise confused.

"Yeah!" Arashi affirmed, not fazed at all. "You two probably wouldn't know, but there used to be these hypothetical fossil Pokémon called Dracovish, Dracozolt, Arctovish, and Arctozolt that no one could ever find in the wild despite, you know, places like this dungeon! Dracovish and Arctovish were supposed to have ridiculously strong bites, and Arctozolt and Dracozolt were supposed to be able to peck really hard with sparking beaks, and they all sounded really cool! But the thing is, the researchers that discovered their fossils apparently were really bad at their jobs and just shoved random halves of fossils together to make something cool, so they never actually existed, and we _still_ don't know where the others halves of each fossil are!"

Astrid blinked, mulling it over. Such a happening and the hypothetical names _did_ seem familiar, but she couldn't place why or where she would have been privy to anything of the sort. Nonetheless, she was at least relieved that it meant fewer foes to face.

Raijin, though, tapped his fingers together contemplatively. "So someone just… smashed some fossils together and claimed they discovered a new species?"

"Pretty much, yeah!" Arashi affirmed.

"That sounds _incredibly_ careless," the Xurkitree remarked.

"Yup, it sure is!" the Frogadier agreed.

However, as Astrid made for one of the corridors, the rumbling sound resumed, sounding much closer than last time as if it were on the other side of the wall closest to them. She looked closely, and indeed, it did appear to be shaking, but just as soon as her eyes could go wide in surprise, the wall burst open.

"Wha-!" Arashi exclaimed, likewise caught off guard.

The domed head of a Cranidos came crashing through the wall followed by the rest of its body, and seemingly without even meaning to, it Headbutted Astrid clean across the room.

"_NGH-!_" the Dartrix grunted.

"Astrid!" Raijin cried, startled.

Astrid had to take a moment in regaining her composure, flapping her wings to steady herself, but Arashi didn't waste time in spitting a Water Pulse. The Cranidos didn't even seem to notice them until the Frogadier's attack hit, for it was merely shaking the shattered pebbles from its head, but when it did, the wild one instantly began to growl and turned on Arashi and Raijin next. It went rushing, aiming to Take Down whoever it hit first, but the Xurkitree planting all of his limbs around Arashi and sparking made the dungeon-dweller think twice for a moment. It was enough time for the Frogadier to shoot off another Water Pulse, to which the Cranidos focused its energy a bit before rushing again regardless. Raijin detached from the ground to dodge and Arashi leaped out of the way, thankfully avoiding the hit, for a jagged stone behind them was smashed to rubble when the Cranidos made contact with it. It didn't even faze the rocky creature.

"That thing is packing an awful lot of power for something so tiny," Raijin noted.

"It sure is," Astrid concurred, sounding a bit winded still.

Even so, an Ice Beam and Signal Beam both narrowly missed as the wild one made a beeline for Astrid again, who flapped upwards while shaking some leaves loose. A Razor Leaf sent down at the Cranidos was enough to knock it out, a snarl following as it went limp and the Dartrix landed. She dusted herself off and ambled back over to her comrades.

"That looked like a hard hit," Arashi said, studying her.

"It was," she affirmed flatly, shooting a glance to the fainted one. "I don't guess I've got any broken bones if I'm getting around, but _jeez_, it sure feels like it."

Nonetheless, they were setting off for the next room with her keeping watch at the front again while Arashi made note of the Cranidos line to Raijin. There wasn't any more rumbling to be felt or heard, but a Kabuto peeking up from its pool was quickly dispatched by a Razor Leaf and Energy Ball aimed back at it.

"This synergy is great," Arashi happily remarked. "That Cranidos didn't wanna touch your sparks, Raijin! We did good together!"

"I didn't think of having any defensive capabilities until Astrid mentioned it," the Xurkitree replied. "Honestly, I… I really like being on this team with you two."

"Yes! _That's _the Starstorm spirit!" Arashi cried with glee.

Astrid giggled under her breath at her comrades' antics, though it was mostly in amusement at her partner's declaration of 'Starstorm spirit.' It definitely seemed par for the Frogadier- coming up with a _special_ brand of enthusiasm. Surely they hadn't been established long enough for such to be necessary, but if _anyone_ was going to come up with it, it was definitely Arashi.

Still, she'd be keeping her eyes out for any more rock-crushing Cranidos rampages.

**Sunken Cavern B7F**

A fussing Armaldo tried to Metal Claw them to shreds almost as soon as it laid eyes on them, hissing at the unfamiliar figures with narrowed eyes. Astrid's Steel Wing could counter it fine enough, even if the Dartrix didn't like getting so close to a hostile wild one or the giant claws it stabbed at her with.

"Urgh, is this thing trying to skewer me?!" she cried haplessly, flapping one wing to stay in the air while her metallic-glowing one and the wild one's claw clanged off of each other. "I p-probably don't t-taste that good, I swear!"

"You're supposed to hunt in the water!" Arashi likewise protested, spitting a Water Pulse.

The watery stream certainly caught the attention of the wild one, for it summoned up an Ancient Power that it flung at both the Frogadier and Xurkitree. Arashi was quick to leap backwards out of its range, and though Raijin tried to dodge, he ended up holding up his arms to block a few of the glowing rocks from crashing down.

"Agh-! Sheesh!" Raijin cried.

Astrid flew upwards and rained down a flurry of leaves, and while the Armaldo growled in discomfort at taking her attack, it swiftly scooped up a pebble with one claw that it flung up at her. Another discomforted cry escaped, albeit from the Dartrix instead, as the stone whopped her upside the head and she was Smacked Down… right on the edge of a pool. Her comrades both perked up in alarm and Arashi looked ready to dart over, but thankfully, she only went clattering down onto a rock (albeit a much more jagged one than she would've hoped) instead of into the water. She quickly picked herself up, but not before a Kabuto's glowing red eyes Leered at her from the surface. A Razor Leaf sent it scurrying back to the depths.

"This one _really_ hates outsiders!" Arashi remarked.

Still, another Water Pulse did more damage but also angered the Armaldo even more, a positively wrathful cry leaving its snarling mouth. It raised one claw up and ran for the nearest target, Raijin, but as soon as its claw made contact, a flurry of sparks were Discharged along the Xurkitree's limbs that easily carried over to the wild one. Something akin to a startled shriek left its mouth, but in any case, the dungeon-dweller was unresponsive on the ground thereafter.

The three of them were certainly relieved when it ceased its attacking.

"Sorry, that might've been a little much," Raijin said softly, giving the Armaldo a pat on the head.

The wild one of course couldn't hear, but Astrid had to figure that even if it did, it wouldn't have cared regardless. She straightened up a few stray feathers that the thrown pebble had mussed up, and they were off again… albeit hearing another rumbling sound not far away. Perhaps the sounds of their battle had attracted other wild company, but she didn't particularly want to stick around to find out.

"Let's get out of here before another Cranidos comes charging in," she remarked, scurrying for the nearest corridor.

Her comrades were close behind, and when the wall went smashing apart less than a minute later, they were nowhere to be found.

**Sunken Cavern B9F**

A quick break for snacks and recharging left two apple cores in a corner in the room prior, but the one that the Starstorm trio found themselves in posed a bit of a problem.

"This thing's like a smaller Stakataka!" Raijin exclaimed, his Energy Ball practically bouncing off the nigh-invulnerable head of a Bastiodon.

"Well, they _do_ apparently have the same typing," Astrid noted, more concentrated on the smaller figure hiding behind its shield-like head.

The rather large Shield Pokémon seemed disgruntled at having intruders in its territory, but still couldn't be bothered to directly attack. It laid in one place next to a large pool taking up almost half the room with its tail nonchalantly flicking at the water's surface and its back to the wall behind it, leaving no room to sneak up. However, another Cranidos apparently liked the protection its absurdly durable form provided, for the smaller headbutt-happy one kept scurrying behind it after each attack.

The smaller Head Butt Pokémon darted out again with its domed head pointed at them, apparently intending to Take Down whoever it happened to strike. Astrid flapped up and sent a Razor Leaf flurry down at it, but only a few leaves hit their target and left scratches on its rocky hide. Arashi and Raijin both darted aside, the Frogadier aiming an Ice Beam at its feet that slowed it down for just a moment. However, the little rocky one was quick in breaking free of the ice that formed and went running for the Bastiodon again, which still laid nonchalantly next to its pool and put up a Protect to block out another Razor Leaf and Energy Ball that followed.

If a feral Pokémon could laugh and smirk at a foe, the Cranidos was doing it. Astrid's eyes narrowed.

"That Bastiodon seems like it's not going to give us any trouble, but it's still being annoying," the Dartrix noted, thinking for a second.

"But that little guy doesn't seem like it's gonna leave us alone," Arashi likewise mused.

"Probably not," Astrid concurred.

The shield faded, and the Cranidos peeked out again, apparently deciding on its next move and the target thereof.

"All of a Bastiodon's invulnerability is on its front, though," she said, still studying their foes. "Hey. I have an idea."

Her comrades were listening.

"I'll go perch on top of that hulking one's head and you two stay over here. If the little guy tries to duck behind the Bastiodon again, I'll be in a good place to deal with it, or it might just realize its hiding place is gone and stay out in the open where we can all deal with it. Raijin, you keep attacking the Bastiodon's front so it _has_ to stay facing this way and won't move to give its little pal cover again. Arashi, you keep doing your thing."

"Let's do it," Arashi agreed without any protestation.

"Good idea," Raijin concurred.

The smaller rocky figure ducked its head down and went running again with reckless abandon, but the Starstorm trio scattered out of the way. The Dartrix went flying over to the Bastiodon's head and gripped hold of the top with her feet, which elicited some cries of protest from the one she perched on. Still, aside from some flicking around in an attempt to shoo her off, the Shield Pokémon couldn't be bothered to get up from its perch and do much else. A Signal Beam from Raijin made it fuss again, but the thick plating on its head was apparently as good of a shield as any. If her Xurkitree comrade hadn't been on her side, she probably would've ducked behind the Bastiodon to hide as well, but nonetheless, she couldn't help fluffing up a bit at being in such close proximity to Raijin's attacks.

Arashi, however, leaped over the Headbutting Cranidos, swiftly whirling back around and shooting an Ice Beam at its feet again to slow it down. The smaller rocky one snarled a bit, but kicked itself free nonetheless and scurried out of the way of a Water Pulse that followed. Evidently it _wanted_ to scurry back behind its makeshift shield, but on seeing Astrid perched on top of the Bastiodon's head, a little startled cry escaped its mouth. Instead, it turned its attention back on Arashi and rushed to Take Down the Frogadier, but Arashi moved faster and dodged it while spitting another Water Pulse. Its Bastiodon pal seemed to grumble something that only the Cranidos could understand, and the hulking wild one got up to its feet and looked over as if it would go to shield the smaller wild one, but an Energy Ball from Raijin made it nix that idea. The Bastiodon growled and jerked its head back to block the attack, but at the same time, it emitted a horrible Metal Sound that grated on their senses. Astrid practically sank into her feathers and held her wings up over her head to try blocking the sound out, and her comrades too were flinching at it.

"Sheesh! I guess that one's _really_ upset!" Arashi exclaimed with a pained expression.

The Cranidos set its eyes on Raijin next, but a shower of sparks along the Xurkitree's form made it growl and turn back on Arashi. Still, when it rushed the next second, another Water Pulse knocked it out with one last snarl. The Bastiodon grumbled something else, seeming to frown as best it could with its armored tusks obscuring most of its mouth, but nonetheless it nestled back down into its preferred spot next to the pool.

"Hey! It worked!" Arashi cried, grinning.

Astrid jumped down, getting yet another growl from the one she'd formerly perched on, but the armored wild one apparently couldn't be bothered to outright attack.

"Are we leaving that one alone?" Raijin inquired, glancing at the Bastiodon.

"Unless it starts attacking, yes," Astrid affirmed. "No need to go thrashing something that isn't hostile."

They regrouped and headed off again, the hulking armored one still flicking its tail against the water.

"Really, though," Arashi piped up, inquisitively cheerful. "How annoying are Stakatakas? Are they as bad as that?"

"Well, imagine that, instead of only one side being a good shield like Astrid said, all of them are," Raijin answered. "And they have eyes on all sides to see every incoming attack, so in other words, you can _only_ face them head-on."

"That sounds _terrible_," Astrid's voice trailed off.

"There's a reason that Void has one as a bodyguard," Raijin remarked.

The next room had more pool than solid ground, but it also had the stairs in the middle, and the Starstorm trio was running up them before a surfacing Kabutops could get close enough to strike.

**Sunken Cavern B13F**

The lower they went into the cavern's depths, the thicker the air seemed to become, and though Arashi was perfectly happy with all the humidity and Raijin didn't even seem to notice, Astrid couldn't help feeling a bit smothered. Thankfully it seemed that Bastiodon-and-Cranidos duos were quite rare, for they didn't come across another hulking Shield Pokémon giving another dungeon-dweller a place to take cover. Armaldo claws still slashed away and many pools held a disgruntled Kabutops that went chasing after them, but at least the wild ones that attacked rarely had things to hide behind that weren't stones sticking out of the ground. Between the three of them, it was manageable.

"I wonder what Team Sweetheart's up to over at Starry Peak," Arashi nonchalantly said as they trailed through a tunnel.

"They seem like an interesting bunch," Raijin noted.

Astrid had to admit that they certainly seemed _interesting_, but well-meaning though they may have been, the energetic fawning and hugging set her on edge. Had Arashi not been the one to handle almost every social interaction, she probably wouldn't get a single word out between her flustered stammering fragments if faced with Ama's team again.

"… I hope they come back in one piece," the Dartrix said, slightly hesitant in her tone.

Arashi giggled. "Oh, c'mon! What're the odds of them not?"

Her head swiveled back to look at her partner. "Really, what _are_ the odds? Us three and odds haven't exactly had the best relationship so far, unless I'm missing something."

The Frogadier didn't seem too fazed. "Yeah, well, that's just _us_ getting screwed over! Besides, as far as us getting screwed over goes, it's been pretty-! Mmmffgggh!"

Whatever he was going to say was drowned out when several copper-plated fingers covered his mouth.

He cast a playful but dirty glance up at the Xurkitree. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"You were about to say some variation of it being a good day, weren't you?" Raijin replied.

The edges of Astrid's beak started to curl up.

"Well, yeah!" Arashi answered, still grinning.

"Astrid says that every time you say it, something terrible happens," Raijin noted. "I just stopped you from saying it."

Arashi's grin turned flustered. "You too, Raijin?! Oh, c'mon!"

Astrid playfully smiled up at their wired comrade. "Thanks."

Nonetheless, the next room they entered was again more pool than solid ground with somewhat large ponds in all but one corner leaving just a few dirt paths, but around them traipsed an Armaldo that noticed them fairly quickly. It was shaking its claws and looking unamused almost as fast.

"Hey, don't mind us!" Arashi exclaimed as if it would listen. "We aren't even here for you!"

The wild one clearly didn't care, for it was shooting a stream of Brine from its mouth moments later. There wasn't much room to maneuver without stepping into a pool, but the Starstorm trio managed it anyway and the Armaldo was shortly dashing at them with hardened claws. Astrid hardened one of her wings and flew at it too, slamming her wing down as its Metal Claw swiped at her. It growled at her, but growled even more when a Water Pulse from Arashi flew at it next. Nonetheless, an Energy Ball from Raijin certainly caught its attention too, but the armored one luckily managed to swerve aside in time to avoid taking the hits.

"These ones are _vicious_," Astrid remarked flatly, fluttering back from it.

"They really are," Raijin concurred, more green energy gathering between his hands.

It certainly seemed that way when the Armaldo struck out with a Fury Cutter while Astrid whipped up an Ominous Wind that hit it in return. The sparks that went coursing along the Xurkitree's body made it hesitate in striking for a second, which was plenty of time for Arashi to land an Ice Beam that froze one claw in place. Astrid flew at it again with a hardened wing and went for the top of its head, but at the same time, the armored one's other claw swiped at her with another Fury Cutter… which put her in the way of Raijin's Energy Ball when it hit.

"_Agh-!_" the Dartrix cried.

"Ah-!" Raijin was surprised, twitching in discomfort. "Astrid! S-sorry! Are you alright?!"

Arashi too let out a startled cry, eyes going wide.

She slumped down onto the ground in front of it with a pained and tired expression, but nonetheless, she picked herself back up, albeit shakily. That in and of itself relieved her comrades.

"Thank the gods I doubly resist Grass-type moves…" her voice trailed off.

The armored wild one, though, prepared to spit another Brine, but before it could, Arashi's Water Pulse finished it off. Astrid brushed the leaves on her face aside and regained her composure, still feeling less than stellar even if she did doubly resist the move.

"Are you okay…?" Raijin inquired, touching his fingers together and studying her.

"You look pretty bad," Arashi noted, smiling and patting one of her wings.

"One of the Oran berries would come in handy about now," she tiredly admitted. "I'm still awake, so everything's fine. I know you didn't mean to, Raijin."

The Xurkitree slipped the bag off and fished out one of the berries, and Astrid was ripping chunks out of it fairly soon to regain her energy.

Her partner chuckled, giving her another pat and shooting their comrade a grin. "Remind me never to get between you and a target," he jested.

The Dartrix shot her partner a pointed look. "See? What were the odds of _that?_" she said softly.

Arashi giggled, crossing his arms and grinning awkwardly. "Alright, alright, point taken!"

Astrid was certainly glad that she'd opted for the berry right after, for when they entered the next room, a Kabutops wasted no time in jumping from its pool and waving its scythes at them. Nonetheless, it too was taken care of soon enough, knocked out by an Energy Ball that _wasn't_ intercepted by the wrong target.

**Sunken Cavern B16F**

They _did_ find another Bastiodon, but unlike the one in floors prior, it wasn't hiding anything nor was it even awake. Two apple cores sat on a rock next to it, a tree bearing a few more of the red fruits growing overhead that must've provided it a relaxing place to sleep. Astrid carefully sliced the apples overhead down with a Razor Leaf, while Arashi leaped up to grab them before they could go pelting the sleeping wild one below. It was roused awake for just a split second, but apparently didn't seen anything worth ending its nap for and dozed back off in seconds.

"Those ones with the shield faces seem really docile," Raijin noted as they trailed off.

"As far as dungeon-dwellers go, I like 'em!" Arashi declared happily.

They didn't seem inclined to attack, but Astrid still wasn't sure if 'like' was the right word. 'Indifferent' was more like it in her opinion. They were only annoying when something _else _was around.

"They didn't tell us how far down this place went, did they?" the Frogadier mused. "I mean, this Harold guy must've wanted to get away from everyone, but I doubt Rush would send us to a 99-floor dungeon without telling us, aha!"

Astrid blinked; she hadn't even thought of such. "He wouldn't do that… would he?" she was a bit uncertain.

"_I_ haven't even been in one that big…" Raijin's voice trailed off likewise.

Arashi didn't seem to care much one way or another. "Nah, he wouldn't! _Cinder_ might ask us to visit one and not tell us it was 99 floors, but I'm sure Rush wouldn't pull something like that!"

The Xurkitree perked up, touching his fingers together. "Why _is_ Cinder such a jerk? I mean, he called me an abomination the first time we met, and I'd be understanding if he doesn't trust me given the circumstances, but he seems to have an issue with the both of you as well when you haven't done anything to warrant it…"

"But Lazuli said he acted that way to everyone," Arashi noted. "Maybe that's just how he is."

"No one acts like that without a reason," Astrid said to the contrary.

Yet again, the Frogadier got a big grin. "I guess I'll just have to ask him!" he declared without a care. "But if he tries to roast me, you two better have my back too!"

"Don't worry; you're my partner," Astrid said without missing a beat.

"That's why I'm here," Raijin concurred.

Arashi giggled as Astrid lead them all into another tunnel, brushing aside a bit of undergrowth with one wing. They noticed a bit of rumbling someplace far off, but the Cranidos causing it didn't seem to be close enough to warrant any looking out for it.

The solid ground of the next room resembled smallish ribbons intertwining about the several pools that made up the brunt of the ground, the brush around one wiggling a bit as an Anorith nestled up in the weeds on the weeds on the water's edge. The rest of the room appeared to be empty of inhabitants, but still, Astrid kept watch on all sides as she headed for the lone corridor on the opposite side. Navigating it caused the three of them being a bit closer to the water's edge than Astrid would've liked, but if things weren't jumping out or swimming up close to strike, she figured there was nothing to worry about…

At least, until a pinkish-colored 'weed' along the ground started to move when they got close.

"Lileep," she said quickly, hardening one wing in preparation to strike it.

Arashi gave the tentacle an amused look as it stretched towards them. "That disguise only works when there's waves to mask your wiggling!" he laughed, Pounding it.

However, his face fell when the tentacle wrapped around his hand and he realized he couldn't yank it away. Astrid got an alarmed look too, but just as she was about to hit it with a Steel Wing, the tentacle contracted back down into the water, and Arashi went splashing in along with it with a startled cry.

Raijin twitched in surprise. "Did it just…?"

Astrid quickly cast a wide-eyed glance to her Beast comrade. "Drought Orb, _now_," she said quickly.

The Xurkitree instantly set to slipping the bag off and retrieving the item in question, but as he did, he uncertainly inquired, "I-is that a reason to be worried…? He's aquatic too; won't he be alright…?"

"Lileep hunt with their tentacles," Astrid explained, still eyeing the water intently and crouching down with her wings spread slightly. "They look like plants, but they're carnivorous."

"O-_oh!_" Raijin exclaimed, twitching again. "Duly noted!"

Nonetheless, the orb let loose a blinding flash shortly thereafter, and when it faded, several disgruntled Omanytes and Kabutos fell on the pool's dried-up bottom and flailed haplessly, while the Lileep close to them and one on the other side of the pool gave startled twitches themselves. Indeed, Arashi was still ensnared in the tentacle that had grabbed him, a bit of frozen residual from an Ice Beam stuck around the Lileep's face, but still, it wasn't letting go.

Nonetheless, the Frogadier perked up, haplessly dangling by one arm. "Hey! Thanks! This thing is sticky!"

Something akin a startled sound escaped the Lileep, but before it could do anything else, Astrid dove down and grabbed her comrade in her feet while Raijin blasted a Signal Beam straight down into the fossil flower's obscured face. It turned loose of Arashi and went limp, and Astrid flapped back up to the dirt between the pools.

"Nice try!" Arashi laughed, glancing back down at the fainted wild one.

Perhaps had they had any leverage to get close, the Omanytes and Kabutos would've made a strike next, but they were too busy fussing over the sudden change in their habitat to pay much mind to the intruders.

"Let's get out of here," Astrid said, casting the fainted Lileep a dirty glance and setting off again.

Thankfully, the stairs weren't too far away.

**Sunken Cavern Pit**

"Hah! We made it!" Arashi exclaimed happily.

Astrid looked around, almost expecting to see their target someplace in the room that met them… but no, there was no Abomasnow to be found. It was merely a connecting room beckoning them to the lower floors. A small and muddy-colored stream lined almost the entire edge of the dungeon, save for two openings leading into pure darkness both at the front and back.

"So this is one of _those_ types of dungeons," Astrid noted, giving their surroundings a quick scan.

The Frogadier giggled just a bit. "Well, if we get wiped out, that's fewer floors to conquer!"

Astrid gave her partner a haplessly uncertain glance, strolling for the entrance to the lower floors. "Hey, when you say it like _that_-"

However, something caught the attention of all three of them when a whitish glow emanated from behind them, and they all whirled around to see what the cause was. Astrid more or less expected it to be a mischievous Abomasnow launching an attack to make off with their items, but no… It was something much more alarming. The very air itself seemed to crack and open up into a rift between dimensions, which they immediately placed as a wormhole. Astrid's beak fell open.

"Did they _find_ us?!" Arashi hollered, likewise looking shocked. "H-_how?!_"

Raijin, however, was already sparking like a tempestuous sky, making the Dartrix and Frogadier keep a bit of distance to avoid inadvertently taking a bolt.

"If they did, then running isn't going to accomplish anything but drawing out the inevitable," the Xurkitree noted. "Unless Necrozma can give us a way out, but…"

Astrid couldn't think of any other reason that a wormhole would be opening in the middle of a dungeon except for malicious intent, and though the thought was absolutely terrifying, she crouched down with eyes narrowed at whatever was on the other side. It didn't take much reasoning to see how improbable the Blinding One intervening would be, what with their energy being so taken up by staving off Void's onslaught… yet, it shortly appeared that something was amiss, for it wasn't any Beast that emerged from the other side. It was a Tyrantrum, and a _big_ one that towered over even Raijin. It bared its fangs and growled, the wormhole closing behind it almost as fast as it had come.

"Wait, _what?!_" Arashi exclaimed, alarmed but confused all the same. "What's a Tyrantrum doing in a wormhole?!"

Astrid was likewise confused, studying their new company and wondering how it would be warping around by such a method, but all the same, she eyed the tunnel leading into darkness behind them. If it wasn't one of Void's, then surely, they could outrun it, but oddly enough, her Beast comrade still wasn't moving even as the hulking ancient Pokémon took a few thunderous steps towards them.

"They could still be using it as a temporary emissary," the Xurkitree said carefully. "It's best not to take that chance. What type is this one?"

"Dragon and Rock," Arashi answered.

"Good. I'll make this fast," Raijin noted.

The Dartrix considered her comrade's words for a second, then relaxed if only just a bit. Salem's temporary subjects had been unpleasant, sure, but they'd managed to deal with them fine enough. Arashi looked a bit disbelieving, but still accepted the possibility with a nod too. The Tyrantrum, though, appeared more enamored with the sparking one, for it plodded closer with snapping jaws aimed at the Beast and only began to hesitate when the sparks faded in favor of a rainbow glow.

"Hey, now, sorry to thrash you, but I kinda have to," the Xurkitree nonetheless said rather gently to the snapping one.

Their company certainly didn't like the Dazzling Gleam that flared up and made a sound something like a whimper, but at the same time, it raised one foot up off the ground. Astrid's face fell, for she had an idea of what was coming.

"Wait, Raijin, get back!" she exclaimed.

Her comrade twitched in surprise at her call, but just as fast, the Tyrantrum slammed its foot down into the ground with enough force to make the entire room shake. The ground below it shattered like glass, setting off an Earthquake, and their comrade was far too close and caught off guard to avoid it.

"H-huh?!" the Xurkitree cried.

Astrid swooped her partner up just as the ground below them too split open with a fissure, but the ones that opened around Raijin were practically unavoidable. The glowing one lost his balance, the splintering earth shortly almost completely enveloping him as the pieces of the ground crashed back together. They could still see his spiky head and one arm peeking out, but the Xurkitree was limp and his head flickered for a moment before ceasing to glow.

"R-Raijin?!" Astrid exclaimed, still fluttering in the air with her partner gripped underneath her.

"Raijin, are you okay?!" Arashi cried.

No response. They hadn't seen his glow fade on _any_ occasion, thus the sight of his limp and dimmed form didn't bode well…

"Did that thing just _knock him out?!_" the Frogadier shouted in disbelief. "But…! He's the strongest one of our bunch by a _long_ shot!"

Astrid's face fell even more, and the Tyrantrum looked up at them next with a wild snarl. "You've gotta be kidding me," she flatly remarked. "We were warned about this place, too! This is _terrible!_"

She thought about their situation through for a moment, thoroughly perturbed at one teammate being unconscious, even more at the fact that he was the one most knowledgeable about wormholes opening and what such entailed. Still, she dropped back on the ground towards one of the sides, the huge set of jaws seeming to curve into a grin. Raijin still wasn't moving.

"What're you thinking?" Arashi inquired, eyeing their foe and crouching down to spring. "I'm fine with fighting, but you're the one with the best calls. Should we run instead?"

Astrid shook her head, the Tyrantrum snapping again and turning to face them with plodding, heavy movements. "We can't do that," she said quickly. "We can't leave Raijin. If wormholes are opening, someone from Void's faction is behind it, so we need him and his Beast expertise. And even if we ran… What if a faction group opens another and jumps out? He'd be left alone to the group he betrayed. We can't just abandon a comrade like that."

The Frogadier nodded, and their foe growled while taking a step toward them. "You're right; I didn't even think of that," Arashi acknowledged, then with a grin creeping across his face again, "You think we got this?"

"I sure hope so," Astrid replied, still studying the hulking figure and its bared fangs.

However, in a dungeon somewhat far away…

**Starry Peak Summit**

"_You had one fucking job to do!_" Sixty-O-Three hollered, bashing the glowing vessel into the side of a reflective rock hard enough to shatter the shiny surface.

"S-sorry…! It's just hard to concentrate on wormholes when you throw me around like that…!" the tiny voice inside whimpered back pitifully.

The Pheromosa growled, angrily tossing the vessel onto the ground and kicking it out of the way.

The summit was definitely abuzz with shrieks and growls… but not from the wild ones.

"Urgh…! What _are_ these creatures?!" Jingle exclaimed in a pained voice.

Ama didn't look too sure herself. For all the cutesy smiling and happy singing the Blissey had done previously, her expression started to look somewhat perturbed. Both the Alcremie and Drampa next to her got some much-needed restoration from the Soft-Boiled healing light emanating from her egg, Millicent not saying a word but coughing and catching her balance after taking Seven Thousand's Toxic. The lovely scent of Aromatherapy followed from the Alcremie to heal herself, but nonetheless, she still seemed rather disoriented. Still, a Venoshock from the Nihilego followed, to which both the dragon and the creamy fairy scuttled behind Ama as she braced to take it.

"Greeting from Ultra Space, expeditioners!" Fourteen-Five hollered flippantly, balling his fist up while still flexing the other arm.

That certainly didn't come off a friendly sort of greeting.

The Blissey made a perfect shield against Seven Thousand's attack and didn't seem too fazed by it, but in the air, her Decorated Togekiss comrade deftly glided out of the way of Sixty-O-Three's Ice Beam before whipping up an Air Slash that sailed back down. With an absurd speed, the Pheromosa darted out of the way before rushing at Ama, Lunging out almost too fast to see. The Blissey nonetheless braced herself to take it too, and while it certainly hit _far_ harder than she would've liked, she hung on with enough strength left to deliver a Counter… straight into a Reflect shield set up by Seven Thousand. The damage packed into her hit put a giant crack in the shield, but still, Seven Thousand didn't bother keeping it up for long and the lead sweetheart frowned in frustration.

"You not worry; we bring enlightenment," the Nihilego mused softly.

They had some _serious_ doubts about what that entailed.

Chira, however, cloaked with a pinkish glow, rushed at the Buzzwole and intended to Play Rough, but with a swing of his fist, a Hammer Arm slammed her instead. The Cinccino would've cried out, but the loud _crack_ that resulted from Fourteen-Five's fist took her voice away and made her eyes go wide before rolling back in her head. Even with her scarves and their slick oil lessening the blow, the force was absolutely unmistakable, and the elegantly furry one went crashing into the surface of a rock hard enough to shatter its surface to pieces. She didn't pick herself back up when she went slumping onto the ground.

"_Chira!_" Ama cried in dismay.

No answer.

"Oho, don't worry!" Fourteen Five laughed, balling up both of his fists. "We wouldn't be so uncouth as to _kill_ such lovely specimens as yourselves!"

Still from the air, Yunael breathed down a Flamethrower at the Beast triad, but without a shred of concern, Seven Thousand glided in front of the fiery stream to block it from hitting anyone else and fired a Power Gem in return. Millicent scurried closer to Jingle and set to Decorating him too, and in turn, he breathed a Dragon Breath at their foes, but it sailed past as Sixty-O-Three and Fourteen-Five scurried aside. The Alcremie's movements became a bit erratic and her expression a bit angry, but she said nothing, and their enemies hardly bore a scratch.

Ama couldn't help her frown, patting her egg and scrutinizing the Beasts. "Tough love is still love," she remarked flatly, "but senseless fighting isn't. We won't fall to the likes of you! Love always triumphs!"

"It sure does!" Fourteen-Five enthusiastically concurred. "_And we love Void more than anything!_"


	32. Chapter 32: Unwanted Company

"It's a Rock- and Dragon-type, so that'd make Steel Wing and Ice Beam super effective…" Astrid's voice quickly trailed off, the Dartrix mentally running over as many possibilities for an attack as she could think of. "But if I aimed a Razor Leaf at its eyes…"

"There you go, aiming for the eyes again," Arashi remarked with an awkward grin, shuddering a bit.

One way or another, they'd have to decide _fast_, for with another snap of its jaws, the Tyrantrum came at them with steps that practically shook the ground. Yet again Astrid was swooping up her comrade while he spit an Ice Beam at their foe's face, the hulking jaws practically ripping a chunk out of the ground as it bit down where they'd been seconds prior. Super effective or not, the dungeon-dweller was apparently too fixated on crushing things with its fangs to show any reaction.

"_Dammit!_" the Dartrix hissed, shaking her head and flapping out of the way as fast as she could. "This is what Delphi warned us about, I'll bet! Maybe Raijin was right, but we should've run when this thing showed up!"

"Hey, if anything, this'll make a cool story later!" Arashi was still cheerful.

"Yeah, if that thing doesn't _eat us!_"

It certainly seemed intent on doing just that, for when it shortly realized that Astrid and Arashi weren't in its jaws, it turned its gaze on the fluttering Dartrix and the Frogadier she grasped again with a roar. Astrid went to shake some leaves loose from her wings, but before she could send off a Razor Leaf, she felt something else… a breeze that seemed to come out of nowhere, a Tailwind. Arashi noticed too, for both of them looked back to the opening they'd entered from and instantly took notice of another figure.

"Night Slash, find your mark!"

It was an Unfezant, obviously a male from the plumage, but more than that, all of his feathers were a different color than what they would've expected and sparkled a bit- a Shiny variant. He flew straight up to the Tyrantrum with a dark-shrouded wing, turning a graceful flip in the air and slashing down at its snarling snout in one fluid movement before the Tyrantrum even seemed to fully notice another presence. A snarl escaped the rocky-scaled one's maw, and it tried to Crunch the new avian figure, but he retreated back to the ground before any fangs could sink in.

Arashi's eyes practically bulged out of his head. "Astrid, are you seeing this?!"

"I am," she said, casting a glance downwards at her comrade.

Her partner's countenance was turning into the same exuberant grin he got whenever Rush and Rozen turned up, his mouth agape and eyes sparkling like stars.

She squeezed her feet a bit tighter, getting a very pointed expression. "Don't you go fainting from excitement at seeing a Shiny!"

"But that was so _cool!_" Arashi protested, grinning almost stupidly. "_He's_ cool! Not as cool as Rush and Rozen, but cool!"

"You are _such_ a fanboy," the Dartrix said haplessly, shaking her head. Nonetheless, Astrid couldn't help but feel a bit relieved at seeing another figure, and she flew closer while still clutching her comrade carefully and eyeing their foe. "U-um…!" she uncertainly stammered out, giving the Unfezant a glance for just a moment.

"Hey! Who are you?" Arashi was much less shy.

"Joker of Team Mirage," was the easy and suave answer, the Unfezant still with his gaze locked on the Tyrantrum.

The dungeon-dweller turned around and struck out with a Dragon Tail, to which both winged ones took to the air again to avoid it as hapless rock jutting up from the ground was demolished by the attack. Still, from the room's entrance, they were quickly taking notice of two (or technically, four) more figures when a Dragapult with two Dreepy-loaded cannons and a certain Delphox (that clearly wasn't Salem from her hat and cloak) entered, the latter with a bag across her shoulders.

"Taste Dragon Darts!" the Dragapult cried, launching the two Dreepies at a blinding Mach speed.

"And we meet again, Team Starstorm!" Delphi chirped, giving Astrid and Arashi a glance and playfully flicking her wand.

More relief washed over the Dartrix- if odd figures were going to drop in, the ones before her were definitely better than most other possibilities.

"It's Delphi's team!" Arashi cried happily. "Hi, guys!"

Astrid said nothing, only watching the Tyrantrum that snarled again once the two dragon 'darts' went happily smashing into its rocky hide, while the Unfezant, made even faster by the Tailwind, darted around and grabbed hold of Raijin in his talons. It took a few hard flaps to yank the Beast free of the ground, but before long, Joker had the fainted Xurkitree out of the way and set against a rock in one of the room's back corners.

"Joker, Spirit, and Delphi, or Team Mirage altogether," Delphi noted nonchalantly, waving her wand while it took a greenish glow. "We go on expeditions too when I'm not running Soul Aria. I had a feeling I should come here, and it looks like I was right!"

"You _were_ right! About the entire thing!" Arashi exclaimed. "That thing used Earthquake and KO'd Raijin! It's gotta be really strong!"

Their foe _definitely_ appeared that way from the antics they'd seen. The Tyrantrum went snapping with its jaws again, trying to Crunch the Dragapult, but from the ground sprang some vines glowing in the same color as Delphi's wand that ensnared one of its feet and caused it to trip. More growling came, its jaws missing their mark when it went sprawling on the ground with a room-shaking _thud_, but all the same, the rest of the conscious occupants were quickly dodging a Rock Slide (made a bit easier with the added quickness that Joker's Tailwind provided) when the ceiling overhead took a whitish glow and started to fracture into smaller stones. Astrid set her comrade down and landed herself to avoid getting knocked out of the air, but that didn't stop a small squawk of discomfort that came when a pebble plopped down on her head. Spirit's Dreepy comrades hurried back into their cannons for safety, and soon enough, both the Dartrix and Frogadier found themselves being swooped up by the ghostly dragon. Astrid squawked again in surprise at the gesture.

"Hop on my head and hold on tight!" the Dragapult said, nestling them between the Dreepies. "I'll keep you safe! Don't worry about William and Clerval; they don't bite!"

Astrid assumed that 'William' and 'Clerval' referred to the two grinning Dreepies in the cannons, but nonetheless, even the assurance that they didn't bite didn't stop her from fluffing up shyly at being so close to strangers. Arashi didn't mind at all, and exchanged a smile with both of the small dragons while taking hold of Spirit's head. It took the Dartrix a second to get unflustered enough to nestle down into a more secure position, but in any case, she figured Spirit's protection wouldn't hurt and didn't protest it.

Still, even while taking another Night Slash from Joker (equally as fanciful as the first), the Tyrantrum got back up and wildly swung its Dragon Tail around the room, evidently not caring which target it hit, but luckily both Joker and Spirit could fly swiftly enough to avoid it and Delphi dodged fine. Apparently, the dungeon-dweller noticed that the Delphox wasn't leaving the ground and stomped its foot to set off another Earthquake, but as the fissures jutted out for her, Delphi's wand took on a purplish psychic glow and she perched herself on it, floating in the air while the wand levitated in place.

"Nice try!" the Delphox chirped. "This witch can fly too!"

Astrid blinked, a bit surprised but thinking it reasonable seeing as Delphi _was_ a psychic, after all. One way or another, the Tyrantrum's attack missed, but it quickly went on the offensive again by setting off another Rock Slide.

"I'll teach you to pick on someone smaller than you!" Spirit declared whilst avoiding some rocks and flicking others off-course with his long tail.

The Dartrix couldn't help thinking that _all_ of them, the Dragapult included, were smaller than the rocky-scaled one, but she didn't deem it a thought worth voicing. Joker's Tailwind started to peter out, thus the Tyrantrum wasn't avoided _so_ easily, but still, it certainly didn't seem thrilled when Delphi took a rainbow glow and released a Dazzling Gleam while striking a cute pose on the ground again. Nonetheless, though it turned on Delphi next (albeit somewhat haphazardly after taking her attack) with fangs bared, another set of Dragon Darts flying into the side of its face knocked its Crunch off-target. The sudden launching of the little dragons made Astrid jump, but Arashi, on the other hand, was grinning with just as much excitement as the ones being launched.

"That must be a ton of fun!" the Frogadier cried.

"Well, perhaps I can try launching you sometime if you'd like!" Spirit laughed.

If he hadn't been grabbing the Dragapult's head with both hands as a Dragon Tail swung at them next, Arashi would've pumped both of his fists in the air in gleeful approval at the idea. He looked to Astrid, exclaiming, "Just imagine it- 'Starstorm Darts!' The perfect team _and_ the perfect attack!"

She blinked, fluffing out in discomfort at the thought of being launched at Mach speeds. Perhaps the Dreepies and her partner would like that, but _she_ definitely wouldn't, and one glance at the empty cannon next to her made her glad that her fluffy ovoid shape likely wouldn't fit regardless.

Still, Joker seemed to pause for a second at the back of the room, becoming cloaked in a bright white light. William and Clerval went hurrying back to their cannons atop Spirit's head, and another Grass Knot from Delphi made the Tyrantrum trip before it could set off another attack. With it on the ground, Joker spread his wings, the light becoming even harsher, before taking to the air and diving down at the Tyrantrum's head.

"The show's over!" the Unfezant declared, colliding in a magnificent Sky Attack.

Arashi's eyes again went to sparkling, the light from Joker's attack making them glitter like stars. A nudge from Astrid didn't do much in dissuading his fanboy antics, but the dungeon-dweller, however, seemed far less enthusiastic when a pained roar escaped its mouth. Its jaws snapped for a moment, then went motionless, and its eyes too fluttered shut.

Delphi giggled. "_There_ we go!" she chirped, straightening her hat up. "No terrible deaths today, it seems~!"

Astrid couldn't help shooting her a funny look at the phrase, but indeed, there _was_ plenty to be relieved about if their foe was taken care of.

"Is everyone okay?" Spirit inquired, glancing about at those present.

"Well, Raijin isn't," Arashi remarked, still grinning nonetheless.

The Dragapult let them down onto the ground, Astrid still staying fluffed up as she gingerly stepped off. Delphi slid the bag off of her shoulders and dug around for something inside as she strolled closer to the fainted Xurkitree, whom Astrid and Arashi also rushed to, still no glow to be seen in their comrade.

"Raijin…?" Astrid asked gently, nudging one of his wrists with her foot. "Hey, Raijin…?"

"Hey! Buddy! We won!" Arashi said much more enthusiastically, nudging his head.

There was still no answer.

"Here, this'll be a lot faster," Delphi said, taking a golden Reviver Seed from the bag she carried.

Before they could say anything else, the seed was glowing and emitting a warm light before falling on the ground as a spent Plain Seed, and Raijin's glow was swiftly returning.

"Ah-!" the Xurkitree exclaimed, twitching.

Very quickly, all of those in the vicinity were jumping back as Raijin jumped up, a storm of sparks shooting down his form. He erratically glanced around, then twitched again at the sight of the Tyrantrum sprawled on the ground unconscious. Spirit and Joker kept their distance at seeing the sparks, and Arashi looked somewhat perturbed in spite of his grin, keeping slightly behind Astrid so as not to accidentally take one.

"W-what…" the Beast's voice trailed off, then on noticing the Unfezant and Dragapult, "Who are _you?!_ What's going on?!"

"Hey! Relax!" Arashi exclaimed, giving their comrade a cautiously amused look. "We won! This is Delphi's team; there's no one to attack!"

The Xurkitree paused, glancing first at Astrid and Arashi, then around at Team Mirage before easing up. "Ah…! W-what happened? I just remember that thing setting off an Earthquake… Did I get knocked out…?"

"Yeah, you did!" the Frogadier answered. "You stopped glowing and everything!"

"We were really worried," Astrid added. "I'm glad you're okay."

Raijin touched his fingers together, shrinking up a bit shyly. "Ah… Sorry, I should've escaped that… I've always been a lot better at giving damage rather than taking it, but… I didn't mean to leave you unguarded with wormholes opening…"

"If we didn't know what a Tyrantrum was, we probably would've gotten KO'd too," Arashi wasn't fazed.

"We're all in one piece and that's what matters," Astrid concurred.

The Xurkitree nodded.

Delphi, on the other hand, giggled. "See~? Today isn't the day to worry about your impending demise!"

All her talk of an 'impending demise' still made Astrid a bit uncertain, but at the same time, she brushed it off. The Delphox certainly didn't seem very serious about it.

Arashi, however, went bounding up to Joker, getting his huge grin and sparkling eyes again. "Those moves were _so cool!_ And seeing a Shiny variant in the flesh is _amazing!_ Can I touch your beautiful Shiny feathers…?!"

The Unfezant studied him for a moment, but nonetheless replied in a suave, matter-of-fact tone, "… Go ahead."

As if he were touching fragile glass, Arashi reached a hand out, and on touching Joker's feathers, gasped with a countenance looking as though he might cry of happiness while the Unfezant didn't react at all. Spirit grinned and Delphi giggled, but Astrid blinked in stupor at her partner's antics and if Raijin had visible eyes, he would've been doing the same.

"He is _such_ a fanboy…" Astrid sighed haplessly, burying her face in her wings.

Nonetheless, Raijin's tail giving her a tap on one wing caught her attention, and she cast her comrade a glance.

"We should keep moving… just in case," Raijin noted. "The odds of that being a random occurrence are ridiculously small."

The Dartrix nodded, then looked back to her star-struck partner still staring happily at the Unfezant. "Arashi! We're getting out of here!"

The Frogadier looked downcast at leaving his new object of adoration, nonetheless nodding and hurrying back to Astrid's side but not before excitedly inquiring of Team Mirage, "Hey, if you guys are here too, maybe we can keep going together! It'd be fun!"

Delphi, however, got a bit of a hesitant look at the idea, still smiling but looking a bit flustered. "This is where we take our leave too," she quickly noted. "There's _so_ many bodies of water to accidentally drown in! Getting down here was an ordeal enough!"

The Frogadier still giggled. "I know you're a Fire-type, but is it _that_ bad?"

"_Yes_," the Delphox easily affirmed. "They're a fine way to get yourself killed! I'm not getting near another one!"

Arashi shrugged, not pressing the issue. Astrid figured there was indeed some sense to what she was saying, Fire-type or not, seeing as she and Arashi had already encountered plenty of trouble with the aquatic ones too.

Nonetheless, the Dartrix shyly gave Team Mirage a glance while turning to head off again and stammered out as best she could, "Th-thanks for your h-help. Y-you really saved us a lot of t-trouble."

"I always look out for the little guy," Spirit noted.

Delphi went chuckling again, nonchalantly replying, "Just be glad you're not on Starry Peak right now.~ Things could be _much_ more troublesome.~"

"Why?" Arashi perked up, getting an inquisitive look. "Is it bad out there right now?"

The Delphox grinned mischievously. "Oh, you'll hear about it.~ Just wait until you get back, and you'll know.~"

That made the Starstorm trio exchange some uncertain glances, but nonetheless, the two teams were exchanging their goodbyes for the time being as they went their separate ways.

**Sunken Cavern Pit B1F**

The terrain wasn't that much different than the floors prior, but the one thing they immediately noticed was that the ceiling was much higher and composed of interwoven branches from some very wide-trunked trees with huge, flat bright green leaves. Many of them had roots reaching into the pools that were still too dark to see clearly into, and the humidity felt even thicker… just like a rainforest, or rather, a rainforest contained within a cave deep underground. It was an odd sight, and surely, had their target not been actively hiding, it was no place that one would expect an Abomasnow to venture into.

"Well, I take it that Aerodactyl and Archeops would be at home up there…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she eyed the tall branches. She glanced to Raijin. "Those are both Rock- and Flying-types. An Aerodactyl's got a big set of teeth that'll shred just about anything, and an Archeops stops being intimidating after it takes some damage."

The Xurkitree nodded. "Duly noted."

At that, something like a screech came from one corridor that made them perk up, to which Astrid took another corridor going the opposite way. If it was indeed an Aerodactyl screeching at another dungeon-dweller, she wasn't about to get in the middle of them.

"Well, we know Delphi was right about _this_ place being somewhere we needed to be careful, so is it safe to say we would've gotten ambushed on Starry Peak?" Arashi wondered, still upbeat as he always was. "The way she was talking makes it sound like it's _really_ problematic up there."

"She also just said 'horrible creatures' when she made our prediction," Astrid noted, her eyes still darting around for any walls uncharacteristically shaking from a Cranidos running or the like. "Maybe she saw Beasts and didn't know what else to call them."

"I really hope they're alright…" Raijin said hesitantly. "If Adnea is right and they didn't know what a Nihilego's poison actually does, and I'm guessing it's safe to say they don't, then whatever teamwork they have together is a moot point…"

"We'll just have to wait and see," Astrid said. "We know they're a formidable team, but there's no way to know anything else for sure at the moment."

That much was true, no one was denying.

The next room they entered had three pools dotting its floor between the corridor they'd came through and the lone one on the other side, a little pair of Kabuto eyes visible peering out from some reeds just under the edge of one surface, but what caught their attention more was a larger green and yellow figure very slowly dragging itself around- a Cradily. Perhaps it was rather sluggish, but even if it couldn't make any fast dashes, its eyes locked on the intruders too and it started in their direction.

Arashi couldn't help but giggle. "These ones look easy to outrun!"

Easy to outrun, sure, but the Energy Ball that formed between the dungeon-dweller's glowing eyes easily showed that it was not harmless. The Starstorm trio was outrunning the attack rather than the Cradily sending it shortly thereafter, Astrid flapping up and sending a Razor Leaf in return into the dark-shrouded opening on its head.

"Don't let a Cradily touch you, either!" Astrid called.

It seemed their foe didn't have to touch anyone to do some extravagant damage, for after growling gutturally and shaking its head from Astrid's leaves, it spit a large droplet of Acid at the Dartrix, which luckily, she could fly out of the way of. Still, there was a hissing sound that resulted from part of the wall behind her getting dissolved outright in seconds, leaving a sizzling dent that travelled down to the floor along with the corrosive liquid. She and Arashi both blinked in discomfort, and Raijin twitched.

"D-did that thing just melt the wall?!" the Xurkitree exclaimed, forming another Energy Ball between his hands.

"Sure did! The Lileep line can be rough if you get too close!" Arashi affirmed.

Nonetheless, an Ice Beam from the Frogadier elicited a startled cry from the Cradily when its slow crawl came to halt. An icy sheet covered it, leaving it frozen solid and completely unable to strike back or avoid the Energy Ball that Raijin released. The ice shattered, but without so much as a peep, the Cradily went limp and wilted on the ground, its tentacles still making much smaller sizzling sounds as they touched the dirt.

"That's what a Cradily does- it'll just melt you," Astrid noted, still eyeing the corroded wall. "So, um… I think it's safe to say at this point, if anything looks like a flower, don't even get close to it."

"No worries," Arashi giggled, casting the acidic damage a look too.

"Sheesh, and I thought they were kinda pretty…" Raijin haplessly said, eyeing the fainted figure.

Nonetheless, as they went for the next corridor, they were certainly keen to avoid the Cradily's tentacles and the acid coating them, keeping from even touching the ground close to them with the dirt absorbing some. A very prominent _sploosh_ came from one of the pools, but whatever had caused it apparently wasn't surfacing, for the most that the Starstorm trio got a glimpse of was a rather large ripple that seemed to result from something stirring beneath the surface. Another rumble echoed from someplace else on the floor, definitely on solid ground from the sound, and caused them to exchange glances as they trailed to the next room.

"I'm gonna bet that those little Cranidoses have all grown up on these lower floors…" Astrid's voice trailed off.

"They don't mellow out, do they?" Raijin inquired, sounding incredulous even of his own question.

"Not even close," Arashi amusedly answered. "A Rampardos can smash just about anything!"

Her partner grinned as he noted such, but Astrid wasn't looking too enthusiastic at the idea of meeting one.

Still, an Armaldo was out and about in the next room and trying to skewer them as before, but when they encountered another Cradily in the same vicinity as the stairs, they made a bolt for the next floor rather than waste any time with an acid-spitting flower look-alike. A bit of the stairway's bottom steps were reduced to sizzling dents in the ground, but the Starstorm trio escaped it just fine.

**Sunken Cavern Pit B2F**

Whether a Rampardos or two was indeed out stomping about on the land, they didn't know, but the source of the underwater rumbling became fairly obvious shortly.

The trio made their way across one room with a fairly large pool situated mostly on one half of it, but as they did, another fairly large _sploosh_ came from it along with another big ripple. Almost as soon as they peeked over to see what the commotion was, the surface broke and a bluish creature in a large helical shell practically shot across the room like a rocket, Astrid and Arashi jumping as it did so and Raijin ducking down to avoid being smashed by it. They could only determine it was an Omastar when it plopped on the ground, limp and fainted with a fairly prominent crack in its shell.

"Wh-wha-!" Raijin exclaimed.

"Did we just see an Omastar fly?!" Arashi cried, uncertainly grinning.

Astrid, however, quickly turned her attention back to the pool, where another ripple followed as the armored head of a Carracosta peeked up. "Found the culprit," she said quickly.

Her comrades took notice too as the large reptile leaped out of the water, looking more at them than the Omastar it had sent flying.

"Carracosta, Water- and Rock-type," the Dartrix quickly noted of their company.

Arashi aimed an Ice Beam at its feet, but with blinding speed, the Carracosta became cloaked in water and rushed out at them almost too fast to see. They were all smashed by the Aqua Jet on account of being fairly close together, but with Arashi in the center of their formation, he too went crashing into the wall just like the hapless Omastar.

"Kyah-!" the Frogadier gasped.

Both Astrid and Raijin had to regain their composure for a moment, but when they did, the Carracosta had Withdrawn into its shell for just a second and appeared more akin to a chunky boulder.

"Are you okay?!" Raijin called, forming an Energy Ball.

"I'm fine…!" Arashi called back, picking himself up and smiling even if it was a pained smile.

Astrid flapped up while shaking some leaves loose from her wings, and when the one in the shell reemerged, it was taking both hers and Raijin's attacks. It didn't last very long afterwards, and the trio was regrouping.

"That poor thing…" Raijin's voice trailed off as he studied the Omastar's busted shell for a second. "That has to hurt…"

"It'll heal, will it not?" Astrid brushed it off, giving it a short glance.

The Xurkitree, though, still studied it, and started tapping his fingers together pensively. "C-can I move it…? Like, into the next pool we see so that one we just fought won't bother it again…?"

Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, the Frogadier looking slightly amused and shrugging with a giggle.

"If you want to, sure," Astrid said indifferently. "But if it wakes up and starts attacking, well… You know what to do."

Raijin nodded, then scurried over to the shelled one and scooped it up in his arms. Perhaps the electrical buzzing of his limbs alerted the shelled one to something odd even if its eyes were still closed, for its tentacles started to move just a bit.

"Hey, it's alright," the Xurkitree cooed. "We're not enemies; I'm not gonna bust your shell… Just stay asleep for a little while and you'll be good as new…"

Astrid couldn't help but find the sight of her Beast comrade cradling and cooing at a fainted Omastar slightly ridiculous, and Arashi was already giggling under his breath. Still, the next room they entered had another pool in it, which Raijin carefully nudged the Omastar into. It still wasn't waking up, but perhaps when it did, it would be rather relieved to not be sprawled on the land out of its natural habitat with a Carracosta slapping holes in its shell.

**Sunken Cavern Pit B3F**

After knocking out another Acid-spitting Cradily in the first room, the only corridor available to them lead into a room with two corridors towards the back end and only one rather small pool that didn't seem to stir at all, but the leaves overhead from a rather large tree, however, shook and rustled. The tail of an Archeops was visible hanging out of the leaves, but at a rather odd angle along with one limp foot, next to which was the purple pointed tail of an Aerodactyl. Perhaps the flying ones had gotten into a scuffle over who could roost in the same tree, but when a trickle of red dripped down from the shaking bough, they all had a bad feeling.

It didn't take more than a second to see that they were right in having a bad feeling when the Aerodactyl jumped down from its branch with the slashed-open neck of an Archeops in its jaws, the feathered prey limp with glazed-over eyes and red coating its front from the gaping wound. The sight made them recoil, especially when the Aerodactyl's eyes caught them next.

"O-oh, jeez…!" Arashi breathed, looking awkwardly uncertain. "No amount of berries would save _that_…!"

"You weren't lying about those jaws…" Raijin's voice trailed off, a few sparks shooting along his limbs.

As intent as the Fossil Pokémon might have been on the freshly-dead Archeops, it laid the feathered one down on the ground that was shortly seeping up some of the pooling blood, all while eyeing the Starstorm trio.

"Don't attack it yet," Astrid said, just above a whisper, not daring to move a muscle. "If it doesn't want anything to do with us, we don't have to fight it…"

Her comrades were still as statues too, giving her only some very slight nods. A few moments of simply staring at the Aerodactyl passed, the blade-toothed one staring back and tilting its head in thought, but it didn't appear to think much of them… at least, until a rumble from someplace else on the floor caught all of their attention and an ear-piercing screech from the dungeon-dweller followed. It spread its wing and opened its red-soaked jaws, completely disregarding the Archeops at its feet.

"Well, never mind!" Astrid cried haplessly as the giant purple wings whipped up a slight breeze from their flapping.

"Oh, come on!" Arashi protested likewise.

Nonetheless, an Ice Beam followed from the Frogadier as did a Discharge from Raijin, but both attacks sailed harmlessly underneath the Aerodactyl as it glided slightly upwards to avoid them. A portion of the wall behind it was frozen, then the ice quickly broken by the bolts that followed shortly after, while the gaping fangs Crunched at the Starstorm trio with reckless abandon.

"Nope! _Nope!_" Astrid cried in hapless objection, likewise flapping upwards while her other two comrades jumped out of the way.

Still letting out a little squawk of fright, one of the Dartrix's wings took a steely glow and hardened, which she smashed into the Aerodactyl's head while its jaws were still shut following its attack. A high-pitched snarl followed, but Astrid frantically flew out of the way when a Wing Attack came shortly thereafter with her as the closest target. Nonetheless, Arashi was spitting another Ice Beam at one of the Aerodactyl's wings, the damage getting a frustrated cry in return too but the resulting ice crystals on the thick purple hide slightly weighing the dungeon-dweller down. Astrid shook some leaves loose and sent a Razor Leaf barrage with the Aerodactyl off-guard, but at the same time, a screech of Supersonic levels left the fanged one's mouth. Shielding herself was absolutely useless.

However, something _else_ caught her attention from behind her, and she glanced over, seeing the gashed Archeops up and moving… even if it absolutely should _not_ have been. She whimpered, for the mangled remains of its throat were somehow holding up fine even with most of it reduced to little strings of ripped flesh and a thick coating of blood, and the sight of a reanimated corpse staring her straight in the eyes was _anything_ but pleasant. Without knowing what else to do, she sent a Razor Leaf at it too, but the leaves seemed to phase straight through it.

"Wh-_what?!_" she shrieked in fright.

The next second, she was shrieking again when she felt something touch her from behind… It _had_ to be the sharpened fangs of the Aerodactyl. Her wing hardened again and she frantically batted and flailed at it.

"Astrid! Whoah, Astrid!" Arashi called.

"Hey! What's wrong?" came Raijin's voice, much closer than she'd remembered him being.

She blinked a few times, and the Archeops wasn't standing up anymore, but rather still on the floor where the Aerodactyl had left it… nor was it the Aerodactyl's jaws touching her, but rather her Xurkitree comrade giving her a few gentle taps on her wing, for the saw-toothed dungeon-dweller was sprawled unconscious on the floor.

She glanced between her comrades and asked, still with unease, "D-did I get confused?" then motioning at the Archeops, "Th-that thing isn't a zombie, is it…?!"

Raijin studied her, and Arashi gave her a funny look.

"Yeeeaaaah, you were _definitely_ confused if you think that thing's a zombie!" her partner laughed. "You just started attacking the wall, then you started attacking Raijin when he tried to snap you out of it!"

She let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I thought that Aerodactyl was about to eat me!"

"I literally couldn't eat you even if I _wanted_ to," the Xurkitree said, slightly amused.

The Dartrix shook her head, regaining her composure. "Let's get out of here… away from _that_," she said, giving both the bloodied corpse and the fainted Aerodactyl a glance.

Her friends were close behind.

**Sunken Cavern Pit B4F**

Next to one pool, aside from an upset Armaldo that tried to skewer them yet again with its claws, the team found an orb that they deduced to be a Totter Orb, which was kept stowed safely in the bag. The Armaldo certainly didn't seem all that concerned with keeping it, and after the Plate Pokémon was taken care of, they were trailing off into the next corridor.

"Y'know, I really like this dungeon itself, but the wild ones way down here…" Arashi's voice amiably trailed off. "They're honestly a little scary!"

"'A little?'" Astrid was incredulous, casting a glance back at her partner. "A Lileep tried to eat you, the Cradilies try to melt us with acid, the Armaldos try to skewer us, and on the last floor we literally saw an Aerodactyl rip an Archeops' throat out."

"They _do_ seem pretty vicious for the most part," Raijin concurred.

Arashi shrugged, still smiling. "Well, we're managing fine, aren't we? That's the beauty of our synergy!"

Whether it was synergy or not, no one could know for sure, but the sound and rumbling feeling of something smashing someplace else on the floor certainly made them perk up.

"You think that's a Rampardos?" the Frogadier nonchalantly inquired.

"It sounds… bigger," Astrid affirmed.

"_Those_ ones don't set off Earthquakes, do they…?" Raijin inquired, touching his finger together. "I'm just curious is all…"

The Dartrix shook her head. "Worry about getting Headbutted or Head Smashed, not an Earthquake."

"You know, we haven't seen any Tyrunts or Tyrantrums down here, either!" Arashi noted. "You think that last one was the boss or something, and it was the only one?"

"You mean kinda like Lurantis?" Astrid asked in return.

"Yeah! Except, y'know, _actually_ wild!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," the Dartrix replied.

"No wonder it got dropped on us, then," Raijin remarked.

Still, as they approached the room on the other side of the corridor, another loud shriek graced their senses that they recognized as being another Aerodactyl's. It didn't take long to see what the commotion was when they entered, and indeed, there was another saw-toothed figure sitting in a tree with an unhappy look, but the unhappy look wasn't directed at the Starstorm trio. It was instead directed at a Rampardos below its branch, slapping at the trunk with one hand and seeming to snicker while studying the perching Aerodactyl. The expeditioners paused, a bit uncertain of the scene they found themselves in.

The Rampardos shook the tree trunk with a playful look- whether it indeed just wanted to play or rather saw 'playing' as something utterly destructive that the Aerodactyl was protesting, they didn't know. Nonetheless, the winged dungeon-dweller apparently wanted no part of its company, for a loud Roar escaped its fanged mouth that drove the Rampardos back against the wall, the rock-headed one narrowly avoiding being dunked into a pool mere centimeters away. The Head Butt Pokémon wasn't dissuaded, and instead stomped the ground a bit with enough force to make it rumble some more before ducking its head down and charging straight into the tree trunk.

_Snnnnap!_

More screeching followed, the Aerodactyl taking to the air as its perch went toppling over… which, as the Starstorm trio shortly discovered, was toppling straight at them.

"Oh, jeez!" Arashi cried haplessly.

"Give us a break," Astrid said haplessly.

The three of them were shortly dashing forward out of the way as the tree's splintered top half crashed down straight in front of the corridor they'd just come from, blocking it off completely. Astrid was definitely thankful they hadn't been in the corridor before it had become blocked, but on the other hand, with their cries and scurrying, the dungeon-dwellers' gazes fell directly on them, and they didn't look too happy at having visitors.

The Aerodactyl screeched again, and the Rampardos roared, the two of them exchanging glances that all but said their feuding could wait.

"Is every occupant of this place trying to kill everyone else that lives here?!" Arashi exclaimed. "Because it's starting to seem that way!"

Nonetheless, the Aerodactyl certain seemed intent on causing _some_ form of damage, for its fangs started to take an icy blue hue and the cold air practically radiated out of its gaping maw as it picked out Astrid for its target. An Ominous Wind interrupted its flight (while also striking the rock-headed one), but still, the Dartrix went darting out of the way while sending a Razor Leaf at it too, the place she'd formerly occupied shortly having a pair of fangs ripping through it. The Rampardos Focused Energy for a second, but when Arashi's Water Pulse collided with it, it rushed to Take Down both him and the Xurkitree. Arashi dashed while Raijin shot off an Energy Ball, and perhaps the attack would have done some considerable damage… had it not hit the Rampardos' thick skull and bounced off.

"What?!" Raijin cried, twitching before darting out of the way too.

"It's got a ridiculously thick skull!" Astrid called, attempting to avoid a Wing Attack. "Aim literally anywhere but that dome on its head! _Ah-!_"

One of the Aerodactyl's wings slammed into her and sent her skidding across the floor, the winged dungeon-dweller still snapping its jaws.

"Duly noted!" Raijin called back.

The Frogadier and Xurkitree were relieved to be out of the way when the wall behind them was torn apart under the rock-headed one's force as if made of little more than paper. Though not there previously, the dungeon had a new (and very haphazard) entrance to an adjacent room.

The Aerodactyl, however, set its eyes on Arashi next when an Ice Beam coated one wing joint in ice and made flapping much harder than it had been previously, for which Astrid was quite relieved. The saw-toothed one went messily crashing into the ground, beating its still-mobile wing in a hapless attempt to stay up, but it was to no avail. With an opening, Astrid took to the air again with a hardened wing, then dropped down and bashed the Aerodactyl on its head while it snarled at her partner. A pained screech followed, but shortly the Aerodactyl too was out cold.

The Rampardos, on the other hand, shook itself free of the rocky rubble and growled at them next, pointing its head down in preparation to attack again. It ran at them, but an Energy Ball aimed _not_ at its head made it snarl in pain and go sprawling limp on the ground before it could do much else.

"Sheesh! That thing ripped a hole in the wall!" Arashi exclaimed, eyeing it. "I'm glad we didn't get hit! That would've hurt!"

"You weren't lying about them," Raijin said, studying it too.

Nonetheless, Astrid strolled over to take a peek into the opening it had torn, hoping that perhaps they could locate the stairs easier… but when she saw that there was hardly anything but two pools covering most of the ground and two Cradilies out prowling beside them, she decided another corridor would be the better option to take.

**Sunken Cavern B5F**

Still, on the next floor, in another corridor, they came across an Archeops strolling along the ground _without_ a giant gash in its neck from an Aerodactyl. It screeched and come running at them almost as soon as it laid eyes on them, its wings flapping uselessly at its sides with nowhere to take off to. Astrid gave her own wings few flaps to give Arashi a clear window to attack while she shook some leaves loose, and a Water Pulse was quick to follow that elicited another screech.

"Hi to you, too!" the Frogadier called.

Still, while a Razor Leaf sliced at it, a pained cry escaped Arashi when the wild one hit him with a Wing Attack, but soon enough, an Energy Ball knocked it out.

"This Harold guy must have some serious determination to be hiding down here," the Frogadier remarked as they all stepped over the fainted figure. "If I were an Ice-type, I'd hate it here!"

"I'm not too fond of it, either," Astrid mused. "This humidity is kinda terrible."

"Is it…? I don't even notice," Raijin nonchalantly noticed.

"Yeah, well, you're not really a normal case," Arashi chuckled.

However, Astrid was shortly of mind that something else was terrible when it became obvious fairly quickly that the room on the other side of the tunnel could hardly be classified as a 'room' in her opinion. There was solid ground, sure… but not very much of it. Two large pools took up most of the space and left a thin winding ribbon of solid ground between them- definitely something that would've been problematic to two of their team.

A distressed squawk left her beak. "N-not this again!"

"What's wrong?" asked Raijin, perking up. "It's not a Monster House, is it?"

She shook her head, turning around. "No, I wouldn't be so worried about that, especially not with _you_ here," she said, giving the Xurkitree a glance. "It's mostly water. Arashi, you remember what happened the last two times we went through one of these…?"

The Frogadier grinned nonetheless. "One _was _a Monster House and I got eaten by a Wishiwashi in the other!"

"Wait, something _ate_ you?!" Raijin piped up in surprise, giving a twitch. "H-how are you _alive?!_"

Arashi giggled. "Oh, I guess I just technically got swallowed by a giant fish, but _it's_ technically just a bunch of smaller fish! It wasn't _that_ bad!"

The Beast still seemed completely stumped.

"Point is, Lake Lucent sucked for a _bunch_ of reasons," Astrid said flatly, giving the Xurkitree a glance. "And we don't have any Drought Orbs left. This is a bad idea."

"Oh, come on," Arashi wasn't so convinced. "The Monster House was coincidence and we made it out just fine anyway, and the Wishiwashi was just bad luck! We know what the Cradilies look like and we haven't seen a single Kabutops down here to jump out. A Carracosta isn't so bad, is it? We took care of the last one pretty fast!"

She thought about it for a second, still eyeing the water-covered room uncertainly. Delphi hadn't predicted anything surrounding a pool, but she could still certainly agree with the Delphox's aversion to water- it _was_ a fine place to get drowned in. Still, she thought about the foes they'd faced for a moment- a Cradily or Rampardos would be annoying in such terrain if one entered from the other side of the room, an Aerodactyl or Archeops didn't seem likely to be present with the lack of screeching, an Omastar couldn't leave the water, which indeed only left the possibility of a Carracosta ambushing them based on what they'd seen so far…

"If something does jump out at us, you two can just duck close to me and I'll Discharge it," Raijin suggested. "That'd be a lot easier for us than taking a different route."

She mulled it over, then shortly replied, "Alright, we'll do that. Arashi, you're right- that probably was just coincidence last time."

Still keeping a cautious eye out, she strolled into the next room with her teammates in tow, eyes scanning the water for even the slightest sign of movement. There was nothing to be seen out of the pools creeping around, but the petal-like tentacles of a Cradily were visible peeking out from the edge of one pool. They were very careful not to step anywhere where it would notice them, but the pinkish appendages still swayed slightly as if trying to lure in aquatic prey. Perhaps it was successful beneath the surface, but the Cradily certainly wouldn't be melting any of the Starstorm trio if they could help it.

However, something did catch Astrid's eye when a shelled figure came closer to the surface, and her comrades noticed it just as fast too. The eyes of a Carracosta peeked out, and when it did, Raijin was planting his limbs into the ground and sparking while Astrid and Arashi scurried inside of them. As quick as it had come, the armored head ducked back down below the surface.

"Well, that was easy," Arashi chuckled.

"It was, wasn't it?" Raijin concurred, detaching from the ground and ceasing to spark.

Astrid still studied it, somewhat hesitant but relieved nonetheless, but the next moment, they were all caught off guard when it Aqua Jetted out of the water almost too fast to see… straight into Raijin. The Xurkitree hardly had to time to twitch in surprise, and in mere moments, he too vanished below the surface on the other side of their land strip. A squawk of panic left Astrid's beak, but just as quick, she regained composure fairly fast.

"Raijin!" Arashi exclaimed, worry entering his countenance.

The Frogadier looked ready to jump in after their comrade and made the gesture to do so, but Astrid's wing shot out in front of him before he could try. He looked at her in confusion.

"Discharge," she said quickly.

He still looked puzzled, but he shortly understood _exactly_ what she was getting at when sparks shot throughout the entire pool and the Carracosta, along with two Kabutos and an Anorith, floated limply at the top. A cry of unease left Arashi's mouth at being so close to it, but he smiled at Astrid nonetheless.

"Arceus above, I would've gotten fried!" he exclaimed.

A copper-plated hand reached up onto the surface, thankfully free of sparks, followed by the Xurkitree's head emerging. Shortly, Raijin was crawling back onto the dirt, albeit casting a flustered look at the pool. "Okay, those little ones didn't deserve getting shocked like that, but _you_-" he pointed at the Carracosta, "-_totally_ had that coming! Nice try!"

Arashi couldn't help laughing, and Astrid smiled a little too.

"And now I can say I don't like water," Raijin remarked. "Even if it _does_ conduct electricity really well."

"I don't like it either," Astrid concurred.

"There's a reason I've never gone swimming when there's lightning outside," the Frogadier chuckled.

They were off again shortly thereafter, nothing else bothering to jump out at them from the not-fried pool. An Armaldo wanted to raise a ruckus close to the stairs, but they made it out fine enough without another incident.

**Sunken Cavern Pit 6F**

It was easy enough to tell they were on the last floor when only one room and one dark tunnel leading out met them, and very shortly it appeared they weren't alone… if not judging by the uncharacteristically cold breeze that met them, then by the Abomasnow rustling around in a sack towards the back of the room with the ground practically frozen underneath him.

"Oh, by the gods, where did I place it…?"

He certainly seemed to have plenty of opportunities to misplace something, for multiple bags and satchels littered the ground haphazardly around him, some of which had orbs and items spilling out all over the dirt. It didn't take much observation to realize what a prolific thief was before them, for surely, no one would carry that much baggage around without trying to hide something (or set up a shop, in the case of a Kecleon).

He didn't seem to notice they were there at all, either. The Starstorm trio exchanged glances.

"Okay, we can do this fairly easily if we get him before his Snow Warning fully kicks in," Astrid whispered, barely audible. "I'll fly up behind and Steel Wing him; Arashi, you go for an Ice Beam; Raijin, you hit him with Signal Beam. One Ice-type move is probably gonna knock me out so I need to move _fast_, but other than that, we've got the advantage here."

They nodded. Without making a sound, Arashi and Raijin prepared to attack while Astrid spread her wings out with one becoming steely hard, but as they did so, something seemed to catch Harold's attention and he whirled around.

"The other bag, of course!" the Abomasnow exclaimed to himself.

However, both he and the Starstorm trio were in for a surprise when their gazes met, a startled jolt making all four present jump slightly.

"Oh, by the gods, _more_ company I don't wish to see!" Harold exclaimed flatly, crossing his arms. "Who the dickens are _you?!_"

"Team Starstorm!" Arashi happily answered, going right back to smiling. "Are you Harold?!"

"Indeed I am!" the Abomasnow called back, eyes narrowing. "And what're _you_ here for? Are you responsible for that odd portal I saw earlier? Because if so, I must thank you for saving me the trouble of fighting that awful Tyrantrum, but truly, I do not wish for company! I have no intention of sharing my bounty!"

At the mention of an 'odd portal,' the Starstorm trio paused and exchanged more glances. Astrid eased up, and her comrades followed suit.

"_What_ portal?" Raijin was the one to inquire.

Harold studied them. "A white circular portal that seemed to crack the air! It was the oddest thing! It just opened up and that giant brute fell straight into it and disappeared! Was it your doing?"

They exchanged more glances.

"Should we tell him…?" Arashi asked softly.

"… No," Raijin replied, seeming pensive.

The Dartrix and Frogadier nodded. A bit more info surrounding the wormhole was definitely nice, but at the same time, Astrid couldn't help but be a bit downcast that their perfect opportunity to strike had been blown.

The Abomasnow gave them an intent look. "Oho? Tell me what? Go on and spit it out; I have bags to organize."

More glances between them.

Astrid gave her partner a nudge. "You do the honors."

He was certainly happy to do so. "That we're not here to share your bounty and we didn't open that portal! We're here to apprehend you, you thief!"

At that, Harold got an amused look, crossing his arms again. "Oho? Is that so?"

Right as the words left his mouth, the air got _much_ colder in a matter of seconds. Ice crystals appeared to condense on the walls and rocks while the branches forming the ceiling turned frosty, giving everything a slight glittery shine. Astrid and Arashi couldn't help but be a bit uncomfortable with the sudden freeze, and the Dartrix started fluffing out her feathers.

"Then I do hope you are prepared," Harold laughed. "I knew the unruly dungeon-dwellers would be a deterrent to some, but if you've tracked me down, then surely you're worth something! _This is my domain now, and the Sheer Cold of winter is upon you!_"

Astrid let out a frosty breath, and she and her comrades were preparing to strike again.

"Stick to what I said earlier," the Dartrix said, voice wavering a bit from the cold. "Don't let up on this one."

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Team Mirage belongs to my friend, TheDragonSaver. We came up with the idea for the opening fight a few weeks ago and I thought it was a lovely idea._


	33. Chapter 33: An Unwanted Set of KO's

The Abomasnow smirked as he became cloaked in an icy blue glow and swept his stolen bag stash to one side with a single swing of one hulking arm, while a stinging cold sheet of ice crept over the surroundings in front of him at the Starstorm trio. Perhaps one of the dungeon's Cradilies would've been in serious trouble to be on the receiving end, but the expeditioners could avoid it fine enough, though they could easily tell that it was nothing they wanted to ever put themselves in the path of. They could practically feel what was left of the room's heat leaving to the Sheer Cold.

"Urgh! That's a one-hit KO move!" Arashi exclaimed, not sounding thrilled at all.

"_That's_ lovely," Raijin flatly remarked.

"_Do not let him hit you with it,_" Astrid commanded, her voice more akin to a growl as the freezing temperatures gnawed at her senses.

Nonetheless, Harold had seemed to expect it missing and his glow faded, albeit still leaving a large swath of the ground frozen. If they hadn't traversed the dungeon themselves to know, they never would've guessed that it had been so warm and humid, for the Abomasnow was certainly swaying the terrain to his favor. Astrid flew closer with one wing hardening while her comrades readied their own attacks, but Harold quickly reached into one of his bags of loot and removed an orb, which he immediately activated. Astrid's Steel Wing, Arashi's Ice Beam, and Raijin's Signal Beam all collided with the impervious shield of an All Protect Orb, while Harold laughed in mirth on the inside of it.

"_No!_" Astrid cried in frustrated dismay, quickly flying back.

"Nice try, chums!" the Abomasnow laughed.

A squawk of discomfort left the Dartrix's beak as an Ice Beam came flying out from their target, and she quickly pulled her wings in and let it sail overhead. However, she noticed another dilemma when something pelted her from above- a small icicle. The ceiling's frost appeared to be growing thicker and thicker until pieces of ice broke off and fell to whatever was below, just like a hailstorm even if they were underground without a single cloud present to drop anything.

Harold was certainly right about something- the technicalities of whether anyone could own a dungeon aside, it _was_ his domain, or at least, he turned it into such.

"This guy knows what he's doing," Arashi remarked, voice wavering just a bit.

"That's alright," Astrid said quickly, landing in the vicinity of her comrades again. "If he's played dirty, we can do it too."

Both Arashi and Raijin gave her glance, wondering what she could possibly mean, but she gave a few hard flaps of her wings to whip up an Ominous Wind. The other three present couldn't discern why she'd even bother attacking since Harold was behind a shield, but shortly Harold was getting a flustered look when her harsh breeze blew his bags open and scattered the contents around on the ground. Coins, seeds, orbs, wands, berries, and other items were strung across the floor in haphazard disarray, causing his countenance to become fairly disgruntled.

"Why, you-…!" the Abomasnow growled. "Must you make such a mess?!"

"If he stole all of that from other expedition teams, then I'm sure those other expedition teams won't mind us making use of a few to beat him," Astrid noted to her teammates, the frost from the breath visible in the cold air as she spoke.

They caught on fairly quickly. All of Harold's spoils were out in the open, so making use of anything that would likewise give them an advantage wouldn't be much of an endeavor.

However, the three of them were shortly scattering when the ground beneath them rumbled, Astrid flying up and her comrades dashing aside right before it erupted with a fierce Earth Power.

"Nope! Not again!" Raijin cried. "_Not again!_"

The Abomasnow snickered, shooting an Ice Beam off and aiming at all three of them in succession. Astrid flew, Arashi jumped, and Raijin neutralized it with a Discharge that nonetheless still didn't break Harold's shield. Still, from her higher vantage point, Astrid scanned Harold's loot, looking for anything that their target wouldn't want them to get ahold of. A Weather Lock or One-Shot Orb would've been utterly perfect, but while none of those presented themselves right away, she _did_ see a Luminous Orb sitting rather conspicuously on top of a pile of coins. As hesitant as she was to get close to someone with a one-hit KO move and another doubly super effective Ice-type move, she dove down and swiped the orb with her feet, flying straight in front of Harold.

"Oho, you think I'll let you- GAH!" the Abomasnow gloated, then promptly let out a yell.

_Ssshhhiiiing!_

There might not have been any other sections of the floor to see into, but the light from the orb was blinding nonetheless. Astrid's comrades thankfully thought fast enough to cover their faces (or at least, where it _would've _been in Raijin's case) and the Dartrix held her wings over her eyes long enough to outlast the flash, but Harold, on the other hand, got an absurdly bright eyeful. He held his hands up too late to block it out.

"Scoundrel! Scoundrel!" Harold fussed, blinking rapidly in discomforted disorientation.

"We had one of those too, you know," Raijin called.

"Yeah, but that's from the Coalition's stash," Astrid noted with a slight smirk on her beak, voice still sounding a bit like a growl from the cold. "Why use our own when we can just make things less fun for _this_ guy?"

"_Scoundrel!_" Harold hissed again.

However, he was still seeing stars and didn't seem to notice that his shield was fading. Astrid took the opportunity and hardened one wing, flapping closer before slamming it into the side of his head, which certainly didn't help him in reorienting. It also certainly didn't help him when Raijin fired a Signal Beam that he couldn't even hope to avoid, and a great cry of pain followed as the Abomasnow toppled over limp.

Arashi was about to spit his own Ice Beam, but stopped on seeing Harold seemingly unconscious. "Huh?! Did that do it?! Is he down?!"

Apparently the thief _was_ down, but the battle certainly wasn't over, for a Reviver Seed buried among the rest of the items started to glow and its healing light roused Harold again. He started to move, much to their displeasure.

"Oh, _come on!_" Astrid squawked.

Nonetheless, the Dartrix was flying and her comrades running again when the ground underneath them went to erupting once more, and Harold picked himself up, still smirking and reaching for some other item scattered around- a bundle of Confuse Wands. He waved one at the Xurkitree, and Astrid and Arashi instantly got alarmed expressions.

"Huh?! Astrid?! Arashi?! Where'd you guys go?!" Raijin cried, looking around.

"Over here, Raijin!" the Frogadier called back.

"Where?!"

Their comrade was looking in the completely opposite direction. Clearly, trying to talk to someone that was confused wasn't the best idea, but when Harold threw the wand he'd just used down and pointed one at Astrid next, Arashi turned into a blur as he Quick Attacked the Abomasnow's hand to make him drop the wands before he could wave one at her, for which Astrid was quite thankful. It was certainly not a fight they needed their senses disrupted for.

"Just don't go Discharging the entire floor, Raijin!" the Dartrix called, whipping up an Ominous Wind to strike at their foe.

"Discharge the entire floor? Okay!"

The other two of the Starstorm trio were both quickly chorusing, "_NO!_"

Both Astrid and her partner exchanged dismayed looks as Raijin plugged into the ground, sparking like a thundercloud. Shortly the room was filled with jumping lightning bolts Discharged in every direction, which Astrid frantically took to the air (a bit slower than usual with her frozen feathers and trying to ignore the bits of ice pelting her) to avoid it and Arashi scrambled behind Harold, who cast him a dirty look while taking an icy glow again. The Dartrix stopped dead as a bolt shot straight in front of her, a _very_ narrow miss. Harold certainly couldn't avoid the attack but looked a bit pained even with his type resistance, and while Arashi may have used him as an unwitting shield, it gave the Frogadier very little maneuvering room to avoid the Sheer Cold that crept toward him.

"Not good, not good…!" Arashi gasped, going wide-eyed as the floor around him was frozen solid.

However, the second Raijin's bolts died down, the Frogadier gave the biggest leap he could away from the Abomasnow, very narrowly missing a KO as the ground he'd stood on was overtaken by subzero ice too. Astrid, though, whipped up another Ominous Wind and glided down closer, still scanning Harold's stash. The Abomasnow reached for an Oran berry among the scattered goods, but a Steel Wing smashing into his hand as Astrid dove down stopped him from grabbing it. An Ice Beam was aimed at her next, which made her eyes go huge, but she quickly felt something else smash into her- Arashi's Quick Attack that got them both out of the way. If there was ever a time she'd be thankful for a comrade attacking her, that was definitely it, for a spot on the ground was frozen instead of her.

"Thanks!" she quickly said to her partner.

Arashi gave her a quick pat on the wing before both of them scattered away again, for Harold swung a green-glowing arm down in a heavy Wood Hammer that the Frogadier _definitely_ didn't want to be in the way of.

"Huh?! You guys! Did I get confused?! I Discharged you, didn't I?!" came a cry from Raijin, who turned back around from looking at an empty wall. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes, yes, and yes!" Astrid answered.

"Ah-! Forgive me!" the Xurkitree exclaimed, nonetheless firing up another Signal Beam at their target.

Harold glanced about at the items nearby and saw little within reach that would protect him, and instead fired off an Ice Beam of his own into Raijin's attack. Though it may have lessened the blow, Raijin's easily overwhelmed his and the Abomasnow was taking the hit moments later, much to his vexation. Harold groaned, obviously losing a big chunk of his health, but he held on just enough to set off another Earth Power under the Xurkitree. Raijin went to run, but nonetheless, he couldn't completely avoid it and twitched in discomfort, stumbling with a cry of protestation.

"Raijin! You okay?!" Arashi exclaimed.

"I'll be fine! Ground-type moves _suck_, but I'll be fine!" Raijin quickly answered, albeit with a voice that sounded a bit distorted from the damage he'd taken. It might not have been as strong as the Tyrantrum's Earthquake, but it still was far from pleasant.

Harold chuckled with narrowed eyes, sending another Ice Beam at Arashi instead and grabbing up another orb with one hand. It was a bit hard to get a good look before it activated, but shortly, they were all figuring out what variety it was when they found themselves incapable of moving- a Petrify Orb. Their foe laughed some more, but the Starstorm trio were certainly thinking some less-than-kind thoughts when Harold swooped up an Oran berry while casting another Sheer Cold that they couldn't avoid.

"Y-you've gotta be kidding!" Astrid shrieked, trying her best to move but being absolutely unable.

"No!" Arashi cried.

"Now _this_ is dirty!" Raijin protested, sparks shooting along his form as if somehow that would help.

The Abomasnow certainly was enjoying himself, not the slightest bit concerned. However, while Astrid was trying in vain to get out of the way, the absolute zero temperatures of the ice giving the air a biting feeling, another icicle from above pelted her on the head, and as soon as it did, she quickly discovered that the tiny bit of damage had nullified the orb's effects. She certainly wasn't going to waste her time.

"Brace yourselves, then _move!_" the Dartrix cried, flapping her wings and stirring up an Ominous Wind again that struck out at all three of the others present.

"_Blast it!_" Harold hissed, glaring at her. "_Scoundrel!_"

Astrid had to question just who the scoundrel was- her or a blatant thief. Still, Arashi winced a bit at taking her attack, but the other two of the Starstorm trio were definitely thankful for it when it let them avoid the creeping coldness just centimeters away from freezing them too.

With a growl of rage, Harold turned an Ice Beam at Astrid again, and she flapped her wings, but with the coldness and hail getting in her way, she had trouble dodging and the icy ray smashed into one wing. She shrieked in pain and flopped back on the ground, her wing becoming virtually useless with the entire surface of it frozen, but even if it wasn't as hard of a hit as it could've been, she barely held onto her consciousness. Doubly super effective it was indeed.

"Ngh…!" Astrid grunted, trying to pick herself up again but struggling.

"Are you alright?!" Raijin called to her.

"I-I'm alright…!" she said, albeit in a very hoarse voice.

Arashi, however, darted out in a Quick Attack slammed Harold's hand as he reached for something else, but the Frogadier too grabbed hold of an item in the scattered stash- a Slow Orb. Harold immediately set to slamming a Wood Hammer down at him, but with Arashi holding the orb up to activate it, avoiding the move was far, _far_ easier.

"Scoundreeeeel!" the Abomasnow fussed, his voice dragging out a bit once the slowness set in.

"C'mon, let's finish this," Astrid declared.

Her comrades were right there with her.

As much as she would've liked to nail Harold with a Steel Wing again while avoiding him was easy, her wing wasn't going to listen. Rather, she whipped up another Ominous Wind with her unfrozen one while Arashi fired an Ice Beam and Raijin let a Signal Beam fly. Their foe couldn't possibly hope to evade them, and with a look of dismay, he went toppling over again, limp and unmoving.

A win would've been nice to celebrate, but the Dartrix still scanned around for any more Reviver Seeds that might've given Harold his strength back… and sure enough, one floated up with its healing light starting to emanate out. The three of them exchanged glances, and Astrid thought fast.

"Arashi, do you mind taking one for the team?!" she quickly asked, giving her partner a pleading but pitying glance.

"On it!" Arashi replied, running for the seed as fast as he could and grabbing hold of it. "Zap me, Raijin!"

"Forgive me!" the Xurkitree cried, shooting another bolt at the Frogadier.

"_YiiiAAAAaaah!_"

It definitely wasn't the Discharge they'd seen before, but it _definitely_ knocked Arashi out. The Frogadier went sprawling limp on the floor too, and the Reviver Seed's warm glow enveloped him instead of Harold. He was back up in seconds as if nothing had ever happened, while the Abomasnow stayed unconscious. There weren't any other seeds giving off their glow afterwards, and the ice finally started to melt.

Astrid let out a sigh of relief, and Arashi went right back to grinning as the three of them regrouped.

"Okay, I know the fight's over and we won, but… a berry would be _really_ nice," the Dartrix said tiredly.

Raijin went to fishing it out of their bag.

"You got hit by a doubly super effective move and hung on; you deserve it," Arashi laughed, gently patting her unfrozen wing.

She was certainly tearing into the Oran berry's light blue flesh as fast as she could when her comrade retrieved it, and quickly felt much better. Shaking the ice from her wing wasn't so much of a problem after.

"Say…" her voice trailed off as she eyed the fainted Harold and his loot. "If we grabbed Harold and used an Escape Orb, that'd get us all out of here along with that giant stash of stolen stuff…"

"Let's do it," Arashi agreed. "Moving all of that would be a _huge_ pain!"

Raijin fished out the Escape Orb next while Astrid strolled over to the fainted one, latching onto one of his hulking hands with one of her feet. He _still_ felt icy cold to the touch and she couldn't help shivering a bit, but nonetheless, their surroundings were shortly replaced with the etched cave wall of the dungeon's entrance. Both Harold and Harold's stash were sprawled across the floor, practically obscuring it from view.

"_That_ was wild," Arashi said, grinning. "I can't wait to tell everyone back in Tranquil Town about _this_ one, aha!"

Their friends would certainly give them some looks if he brought it up, Astrid was sure.

Nonetheless, turning over their defeated foe to the authorities proved rather easy, for when they stepped outside the cave, they were a bit surprised to find a Magnezone, Magneton, and Magnemite- specifically Sheriff Magnezone's squad, Arashi assuaged both Astrid and Raijin. Apparently they too had caught wind that Harold had been hiding out, and were rather happy to see him taken care of when peeking inside the cave at the fainted snowy figure and the stash of stolen bags. Team Starstorm was assured that he would be dealt with, and that a nice reward would be sent back to their base soon. They certainly had no objections, and started making their way back to town thereafter.

* * *

"_You guys!_" came a cheerful, very enthusiastic voice not long after they set foot back in Craggy Crossroads boundaries. "You guys! You guys! You guys!"

The Starstorm trio all looked up to see a _very_ excited Chikorita darting towards them with such vigor that they themselves might have turned around and ran the other way had they not recognized the steely grey bandana and badge reading 'Team Wily' around her neck.

"Kaede! Where the hell are you going?!" came the voice of a certain Mawile.

"Wait up!" called a certain Meowstic.

Astrid went fluffing up again, but Arashi grinned at seeing all three members of Team Wily and held one hand up for a high-five, which Kaede reciprocated by slapping it with her leaf.

"I found them! I found them! I found them!" Kaede cheered happily to her teammates, jumping up and down in glee, then back to the Starstorm trio, "I saw you and I had to say hi! _Hiiiii~!_"

Jaws and Clyde shortly caught up and got friendly looks on seeing the other team too, and they all were shortly exchanging greetings- or at least, Astrid _attempted_ to, but very few words came out.

"Long time no see!" Arashi happily exclaimed. "What're you guys up to?"

"Just got back from Dusky Grotto," Jaws answered, crossing his arms and getting a grin. "Some poor Salandit got stuck and said his other Salandit friend was talking about how the Kirlias in Whispering Lowlands messed her up, so _he_ had to go conquer a dungeon to rub it in her face. He got pummeled by a Sudowoodo and couldn't make it, so that's where _we_ came in."

"Every Fire-type knows that using Ember on a Sudowoodo won't _actually_ be super effective… except for him, apparently," Clyde haplessly remarked.

"To be fair, I thought they were Grass-types too," Raijin gently noted to the contrary.

"You don't count," Arashi brushed the Xurkitree off with a chuckle.

Raijin wasn't protesting such. Astrid had to wonder for a second if perhaps the Salandit that Jaws was talking about was the friend of the Salandit her own team had rescued several days prior, and if so… the entire lot of Salandits they came from apparently needed to stay out of dungeons altogether.

"Did you guys just get back from a dungeon, or did you see that fight too?" Jaws inquired, giving them all a playfully furtive glance.

The Starstorm trio perked up.

"'Fight?!'" Arashi asked back, smiling with mischievous intrigue. "What fight?!"

"Team Charade's Kuro the Zoroark and the Gnarly Brigade's Riven the Honchkrow," the Mawile answered. "From what I could hear, it seems like Kuro was just hanging around and talking about some mission that he went on where this Murkrow was being really annoying, and Riven thought Kuro was talking bad about his little brother that's _also_ a Murkrow… Long story short, they got into an all-out fight and it took Team Charade's second-in-command, Karma the Wobbuffet, jumping in the middle and knocking them both out with Counter."

"It was pretty ridiculous," Clyde added. "Entertaining, but ridiculous."

Astrid tried to imagine it- a Honchkrow and a Zoroark beating the living daylights out of each other, only to realize their misfortune when their attacks were turned back on them at twice the power. Surely, that had to be a _terrible_ way to lose a fight.

Arashi, however, grinned with more intrigue. "Well, who was winning before they got Countered?!"

"Riven, obviously!" Kaede declared enthusiastically, giving her leaf a little wave.

"Are you kidding?!" Jaws exclaimed to the contrary. "Kuro _totally_ had it in the bag before Karma showed up!"

"Oh, come on, fact of the matter is that they both lost," Clyde disagreed with them both.

Of course, the Starstorm trio had no way of knowing for sure, and they'd probably never find out.

"Well, hey, we won't keep you if you have places to be; we were on our way to Soul Aria ourselves," Jaws noted, giving both Astrid and Arashi a friendly nudge (the latter of whom fluffed up a bit at the gesture). "But maybe we should all meet up at Grumpy's Lounge sometime and split one of those giant berry tarts. You guys seem like alright company."

Arashi certainly thought that sounded like a great idea, and while the thought of going someplace loud and with other Pokémon made Astrid feel even more shy, neither she nor their Beast comrade (that obviously couldn't be splitting _any_ sort of food) protested it. They said their goodbyes and exchanged waves, and they were off.

Dren was perched on the roof again when they came back to the base, and gave them a friendly greeting as they strode in. The base appeared to be empty save for Adnea in her study, pages flipping with psychic energy as she both scoured and scrawled on them. She didn't take her eyes off of them, and even with her back turned to them, several pens scrawled something on several papers.

*_You three,_* came her telepathic voice, making them all jump a bit. _*There's been another set of 'crazy' incidents further north, and I've picked up on an expedition team or two wiping out after meeting what they call 'odd creatures.' I'm keeping track of what I can gather and scanning whatever minds I can reach, so if I pick up on anything that might concern you, I'll let you know.*_

They were certainly thankful for whatever help she could give, and Astrid certainly felt relieved knowing that someone close by and not stuck in an impasse with Void would assist them in following the developments.

"You're great, Adnea!" Arashi exclaimed with a grin.

"Th-thanks, Adnea!" Raijin called up at her.

They didn't get a direct reply, spoken either out loud or to their minds, but they could tell from her telepathy that the Orbeetle was chuckling at being deemed 'great.' She went back to her researching and documenting, and they strolled back to the basement to sort out what remained in their bag and see what they needed to add before running off anywhere else the next day.

It wasn't too long after they'd returned that they heard more footsteps coming from upstairs and a familiar Azumarill calling "Hello~? Anyone home~?"

"Hey, Big Blue!" Arashi hollered up.

The footsteps were running up to the stairwell's entrance and Lazuli was peering back down at them, then happily skipping down the stairs with a happy wave.

"You're back!" Lazuli cried. "How'd it go?! You won, didn't you?!"

"We sure did!" Arashi answered, perching on one of their cushions. "He called us scoundrels, but c'mon, we all know who the real scoundrel was! And our synergy was great! Astrid's quick thinking made it easier and saved us a few times, I messed with his plans and didn't let him go for what he wanted, and Raijin's ridiculous firepower really came in handy for ending the battle!"

The Azumarill nodded, eagerly taking it in. "Good! Seems like you guys really fit together well!"

"Oh, we do!" Arashi excitedly concurred.

Lazuli giggled, taking up on another cushion. "Mind if I keep you guys company? Adnea's pretty aloof and I've pestered Dren enough all these years I've been here."

Arashi certainly welcomed it, Raijin wasn't protesting, and although Astrid couldn't help sinking into her feathers a bit, she didn't mind.

"Speaking of pestering someone else," Arashi piped up, "Big Blue, can I ask you something? You know everyone here better than we do."

"Anything!"

The Frogadier seemed to be debating how to put it into words for a second, but all the same, within moments, he was blurting out, "Why _is_ Dren here? I mean, don't get me wrong! I know you guys don't have a setup like this for no reason! It's just a little strange that… Well, everyone knows that a Salamence is really strong, and he's even got a Mega Stone! So why is he just keeping watch all the time?"

Lazuli didn't seem very fazed, smiling and giving a little bob of her tail. "Oh, you'd have to hear the story of the Coalition's founding to fully understand that, and I could tell you, but that's more Rush's story to tell. No one knows Scrafty society better than a Scrafty, after all!"

That much, no one doubted was true, but they didn't quite see how that aspect fit into answering what Arashi was asking.

Nonetheless, the Azumarill continued, "But I'll let you in on a little something, alright? You know that Rush and Rozen founded this team, and waaaay back, whenever it was just those two, there was some… bad blood with another two that kept giving them trouble. Dren was the third to join, and that trouble died down pretty fast afterwards!"

That piqued their attention.

"Wait, they had enemies?!" Arashi exclaimed. "But… why?! And what'd Dren _do?!_"

The Azumarill giggled, leaning back a bit and giving another bob of her tail. "Ask Rush, and he'll be happy to tell you! He _loves _talking about those escapades, and if you get him slightly tipsy on berry beer, it's even better!"

"You swear?" Arashi asked, smiling but eyeing her intently. "You're not gonna tell us? C'mon, Big Blue, you can't just leave me hanging like that! _I need that story in my life!_ I have to know why my idols ever had enemies when they're _the best!_"

As the words left the Frogadier's mouth, he crept closer and closer to Lazuli, practically begging her on his knees to tell the story. His eyes were sparkling but pleading, and the Azumarill still grinned and gave him a pat on the head.

"You're not gonna hear it from me, Little Blue!" she laughed.

A hapless cry of playful dismay escaped Arashi, but he nonetheless sank back onto his cushion with a droopy-eyed smile. He shot Astrid and Raijin a determined look. "We gotta get Rush tipsy sometime! I wanna hear this!"

Astrid eyed him uncertainly, and Raijin twitched a bit.

"Look, I might not know much about what berry beer does to anyone who drinks it, but from what I _do_ know, that sounds fairly unethical," the Xurkitree noted.

"I-it k-kinda does," Astrid agreed.

Neither Lazuli nor Arashi seemed very concerned.

"Oh, I'll help you do it, Little Blue!" the Azumarill laughed nonchalantly, then looking to Astrid and Raijin, "Don't worry; it'll be fiiiine! It's not like we're getting him to do anything he otherwise wouldn't; we're just getting him to do it when he has absolutely _no filter_ for what he says or what moves he tries to imitate! I mean, not that he has much of a filter _now_, but y'know!"

That assuaged them, at least a little. Astrid almost wanted to ask her what Cinder's deal was, since Lazuli seemed completely fine telling them whatever they inquired, but she figured that too might fall under stories that weren't Lazuli's to tell.

"So I'm assuming _you're_ on the team because you're the only one that can breathe underwater," Arashi noted of their company. "Or at least, you _were_, until I showed up!"

"That's right!" Lazuli affirmed with a wink. "Places like Sunken Cavern or, closer to your hometown, Lake Lucent, are a _lot_ less intimidating when I'm around! We don't have to carry Drought Orbs or worry about accidentally losing items in the water because I can just use my bubbles or swim in after them! I'm guessing you saw how annoying some of those Cradilies and Carracostas can be, yeah?"

Three nods very quickly answered her.

She laughed. "Yeah, we had a Cradily try to eat Rozen one time. I gave Rush a bubble and he smashed that poor thing's flowery face in."

Arashi got starry-eyed again, while Astrid _almost_ felt sorry for the Cradily in question. As easily as the Scrafty had busted apart the boulder in Tranquil Tunnel, taking one of those blows directly to the face had to _hurt_.

"If you get sent to one of those types of places again, I should be going along with you next time," the Azumarill amiably noted. "We'd have some fun, yeah? I wanna see what your synergy looks like too!"

Astrid would certainly welcome her abilities, and Arashi looked excited at the idea.

Lazuli ended up keeping them company for some time, mostly carrying on with Arashi (who _loved_ the company and conversing) but occasionally with Raijin or Astrid, albeit much less with the latter two on account of their relative quietness (especially for the Dartrix). Cinder, Rush, and Rozen eventually returned together, the Fletchinder still as standoffish as always and Rush laughing about putting a fist in some wily outlaw's face. All in all, it was a fairly peaceful afternoon… at least, for a while.

* * *

Once the sun was starting to vanish over the horizon, however, Dren poked his head in through the door and hollered, "_Rush! Rozen!_"

The tone of voice he hollered it in was enough to catch the attention of the ones in the basement, for the Salamence had always been friendly and warm, but this time he sounded frantic and tense. The four of them perked up, and with a playful wink, Lazuli went traipsing to the stairs and motioning them along. Arashi wasn't shy about darting up the stairs after her to see what the matter was while Astrid and Raijin lurked a bit out of view on the staircase, nonetheless still intently paying attention.

The Scrafty and Audino came scurrying down from upstairs while the clawed forelimb of a Garchomp parted the doorway. It didn't take much inspection to figure out she too had seen plenty of battles, for her fins bore a few scarred-over gashes and a black patch covered her left eye, across which was a fairly prominent scar. Astrid almost wondered if Dren was alerting them to an unwelcome intruder to the base, but the Coalition leads certainly didn't seem that concerned for such to be the case.

Rush's face lit up quickly. "Yo, Shar!" he cried amiably, striding up to her and holding a fist up. "How's my favorite gnarly Garchomp?!"

"Doin' well and bein' _gnarly_, mateys!" the Garchomp replied, bumping his fist with one claw before holding it out to Rozen next. "How goes it this side?!"

"Quite fine, quite fine," Rozen chuckled, bumping her claw with his fist too. "What's the matter? We all know something isn't quite right when Dren takes that tone of voice, and surely, it isn't you."

From their smallish peeking hole, the Starstorm trio exchanged glances.

"Rozen mentioned a Shar running a team called the Gnarly Brigade…" Astrid's voice softly trailed off. "L-Lazuli, i-is that…?"

"Sure is!" the Azumarill quietly chirped back. "Ask her about her battle scars and she'll tell you all about her gnarly adventures! And don't go drinking berry beer with her unless you're prepared to gain a few scars yourself, 'cause she's a real riot!"

The Dartrix fluffed up at the mention, getting slightly wide-eyed.

"Ooooh! She seems cool!" Arashi chattered back under his breath.

"She must've gotten in a _ton_ of fights…" Raijin noted softly, eyeing her.

"Just like Rush! So she's _gotta_ be cool!" the Frogadier giggled, trying to keep his voice down.

Nonetheless, in the center room, Shar got a flippant but pensive look, crossing her arms and thumping her tail a bit. "So ya see, we all know about the wild ones actin' weird out at Starry Peak and how Team Sweetheart was going to investigate, right?" she inquired, and on getting two nods from the two she addressed, continued, "Well, something _gnarly_ must've happened to them! Me an' my mateys were makin' our way back, and we happened across Yunael layin' in the dirt lookin' absolutely busted up with the rest of those sweethearts nowhere to be found! There were some twigs stuck in her wings and some marks on the ground like she'd crashed, and she was _all kinds_ of knocked out! We've been watchin' her for a few hours now and takin' care of her, but _ohoho_, let me tell ya, she's actin' _weird!_"

The two Coalition leads studied her, Rush not seeming too fazed and Rozen looking intrigued. The Starstorm trio exchanged more glances.

"'Weird?' How so?" Rozen nonchalantly inquired.

"Well, when we got her nestled up back at our HQ, we shoved some berries down her throat to get her to come to, and right after, she was snarlin' and throwin' attacks," Shar answered, her tail scraping over the ground a bit. "Y'know, if they'd been in a _gnarly_ fight, that's expected, but even after she laid eyes on us and I tried tellin' her to calm the hell down, the first words out of her mouth were 'Don't touch me!' all pissed off like I've never seen. So we backed up and gave her space, and _that_ seemed to calm her down, but then she was just roostin' and starin' at us with this weird look in her eye. She's talkin' fine just like normal, but if you get too close to her, she gets all jumpy and tells you to back up, 'cause according to her, she's got these out-of-whack _gnarly_ urges to lash out even though she doesn't _really_ want to… I mean, is that soundin' familiar? I think she's got another case of the crazies. Salem showed up in Tranquil Town not long ago, and that's not _too_ far away from here, so who knows?"

The leads exchanged glances, as did the four on the staircase.

"Where's the rest of her team?" Rush inquired, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. "She said anything about where the hell _they_ are?"

"No idea," Shar replied with a shrug. "She said she could make a getaway 'cause she's a flier. She's still pretty tired and jumpy, but what tiny bits of info we could get out of her make it seem like they got ambushed by this _gnarly_ squad of weird-ass 'Mon."

At that, Rozen started looking concerned, but a grin began to spread across Rush's face and his fists twitched a little as if he were ready to pound something with them. The Starstorm trio had their ideas of what 'weird-ass 'Mon' could be referring to, and indeed, it didn't sound like a very pretty occurrence.

"So do you think we could borrow Adnea in the morning once that fluffy flier is rested?" the Garchomp inquired. "None of my mateys are mind-readers. I'm sure that Togekiss' memories can show us a thing or two."

_*Fine by me,*_ came the Orbeetle's disembodied voice. _*I've already begun to scan her, but she_ is _rather scatter-brained at the moment and it's hard to make out.*_

Shar grinned and cast her gaze up the stairs. "Thanks, matey!"

"She say yes?" Rush inquired of the Audino next to him, and on getting a nod and giving Shar a playful glance, "The one downside of being a Dark-type is that I can't hear her telepathy, ehehe!"

"You're just too _gnarly_ for Psychic-types," the Garchomp laughed, holding one claw out again that the Scrafty bumped with his fist.

Rozen haplessly rolled his eyes at their antics, smiling nonetheless.

Astrid, however, couldn't help but study Shar, wondering if perhaps she'd made a bet with a comrade on who could use the word 'gnarly' the most. It certainly seemed like an accurate descriptor for the Garchomp, but even if Shar wasn't a threat, Astrid's feathers stayed puffed out on end.

"But, while we're on the topic of the crazy incidents, maybe we oughtta let ya in on a little something," Rush said with a smirk, crossing his arms again. "We can trust ya, right?"

"Of course, matey!" Shar affirmed, getting an intrigued grin.

The Scrafty turned sideways and glanced up the staircase towards Adnea's study. "Yo, Adnea! Share the important info with her, will ya?"

"On it," the Orbeetle called back.

Moments later, the Garchomp was getting a wide-eyed look and jumping slightly in surprise. She'd clearly been made privy to some memories that didn't belong to her and quickly combed them over, getting a pensive look followed by a wild-eyed smirk.

"So that Dartrix isn't a natural-born Dartrix, that tall glowing fellow is an otherworldly rogue, Salem is a puppet, and we're getting invaded," Shar chuckled to herself. "But damn, if that isn't _gnarly!_ I'm jealous that you guys got that info first!"

"Well, you _are_ also the first one outside of our team to be getting it," Rozen nonchalantly noted.

That seemed good enough for Shar, who tapped her claws together and wagged her tail with a giddy but wild grin, as if she couldn't wait to kick up an Outrage on some unsuspecting Beast. The Starstorm trio exchanged glances again, Astrid trying her hardest to sink into her feathers and Lazuli giggling under her breath at the avian's hesitance. A pat from the Azumarill didn't help much, either.

"Just be careful how ya handle it," Rush said to the dragon. "Li'l-li'l Green is shy as hell and doesn't want any more eyes on her than is necessary. We all know that the cronies are gonna find out about those three eventually, but we wanna put that off for as long as we can until we've got a viable way to give Salem and Void a piece of our minds."

The Garchomp nodded. "No worries, matey."

"It seems rather safe to say that Team Sweetheart was attacked by a faction group and Nihilego neurotoxin is the cause for the odd happenings on Starry Peak," Rozen proposed. "Yunael herself is probably another incident too."

The Scrafty started snickering to himself, pounding one fist into his other palm. "I doubt they stopped at Yunael," he remarked. "If she escaped, that's gotta mean the rest of 'em are poisoned too. And if we _ain't seen 'em back_, they're still out there. Y'know what that means, Rozen?!"

The Audino haplessly rolled his eyes, but nonetheless smiled too. "I've always been ready to cover and heal, have I not?"

Shar gave Rush a knowing grin. "You gonna go out there and raise some _gnarly_ hell?"

"_Hell yeah_, Shar!" Rush exclaimed, getting a bit jumpy at the very idea. "I know how that team is! _Someone's_ gotta beat some sense into 'em!"

"You're definitely the best candidate, matey," the dragon laughed. "I'll leave y'all alone in that case. Seems like y'all have this one covered."

"We sure do, Shar," Rush replied, eyes practically glinting with mischievous excitement. "You know whose asses to kick if ya see 'em! We'll see ya tomorrow morning before we set off!"

The Coalition leads exchanged their goodbyes with the Garchomp, and shortly she was disappearing with a swoosh of the curtain door. Rush turned around and Rozen followed suit, the Scrafty's eyes falling directly on the four lurking in the stairwell.

"Y'all hear that, Starstorm?" Rush inquired, crossing his arms and grinning. "Y'all three are coming too."

At that, Arashi got wide, starry eyes, and Astrid quickly gave him a nudge with one wing to keep him from getting too carried away. Lazuli only giggled again, giving them all a cheeky glance, while Astrid and Raijin merely nodded quickly without a sound. The Dartrix couldn't help but to be slightly apprehensive at the thought of facing Ama's team while they were in a poisoned rage, but surely, if her partner's fanaticism was anything to go by, Rush could call the shots just fine regardless of the unfriendly circumstances.

The Scrafty looked up the stairs again and called, "Adnea!"

Shortly, the Orbeetle was floating down from her study. "Will I be accompanying the expedition too?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Rush answered. "You and your Hypnosis ain't something I'm leaving behind for this kind of mission. It's too damn valuable not to take."

Adnea nodded. "I see. You know what I'm capable of."

Without a word, she went gliding back up to her study.

"Oh, we certainly do, Adnea," Rozen giggled, watching as she vanished back into her study.

Rush appeared to be mulling things over in his head for a moment, nodding and mouthing things to himself before saying, "That should cover it. Ama'll be down if I can get close for just a few seconds, Adnea can go straight for Hypnotizing Millicent into not buffing her teammates, then the rest'll be easy going from there with Rozen guarding us. If there's any Beasts lingering around, we have one of our own. Besides, y'all three on the Starstorm squad are a hell of a lot more tied to this than anyone else, and y_ou two_ could use the experience in general if you're getting targeted."

Rush's eyes fell on Astrid and Arashi, the former of whom tried to sink into her feathers and the latter of whom got starry-eyed again at his idol paying him any attention. Nonetheless, they all nodded wordlessly, Arashi obviously trying to keep his excitement under wraps.

"Get a good rest tonight, you three," Rush told them with a grin, setting off up the stairs himself with Rozen close behind. "We're gonna go raise some hell on Starry Peak tomorrow."

Another set of nods was the answer. Another set of glances travelled among the Starstorm trio, Astrid's feathers deflating a bit.

"Ohhh, lucky you!" Lazuli laughed, giving Astrid and Arashi a pat on the back. "You get to set out with the heavy hitters tomorrow! That'll be a real adventure!"

"_This is great,_" Arashi concurred, nodding vigorously, and once the Coalition leads were out of earshot, "I get to see my idols in action again! _This is awesome!_"

"I'd certainly like to see them in action too…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

Arashi and Lazuli exchanged a high-five, both giggling with glee. Shortly the Frogadier had both his fists held triumphantly in the air as he darted about the room's perimeter, but Astrid still stayed fluffed up in her place.

"I guess Team Sweetheart _really_ didn't know what hit them…" the Dartrix's voice trailed off. "L-Lazuli, y-you've been around all these expedition teams longer than us… C-can our group match them…?"

The Azumarill winked, giving her a playful nudge that made her feathers fluff out again. "You'll just have to see, Astrid! I got faith in you guys!"

That didn't particularly assuage her concerns, but nonetheless, she accepted it. She couldn't deny that indeed, the three that her own team would be traversing with certainly seemed to know what they were doing, and that put her at ease somewhat. It would definitely be a great opportunity to watch what some renowned expeditioners did and how they approached foes together, but she certainly hoped that, for as vicious as Nihilego neurotoxin seemed to make the recipients, Ama's team would retain a bit of their friendliness and come to their senses before anything too wild happened.

Nonetheless, the Starstorm trio settled down in the basement again for the evening, albeit with Arashi still happy-dancing while Astrid roosted peacefully and Raijin plugged into the ground. They'd be ready for the mission waiting, that was for sure.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: That one scene during the fight with Harold where Astrid breaks free from the Petrify Orb's effects after taking hail damage came to me from a happening whilst playing Rescue Team DX. I believe I was on some high floor of Mt. Faraway while hail was in effect and I stumbled into a Monster House. I stupidly used a Petrify Orb, thinking I would simply stroll through without fighting anyone, and… well, let's just say, hail damage ruined my day. Don't forget about weather damage like me, folks._

_Also, I accidentally uploaded the version of this chapter that I had not gone back and proofread several seconds ago. I hope that didn't cause difficulty for anyone; I have fixed it now._


	34. Chapter 34: Poisoned Memories

The Starry Peak entourage was up and stirring before the sun had fully risen off in the distance, gathering their supplies from the stash down in the basement before they set off anywhere. Oran berries weren't nearly as needed, the Starstorm trio came to find out, with Rozen in their group, for his Heal Pulse could get them their health back fine enough and didn't require carrying supplies in their bags to use. Nonetheless, a few of the bright blue berries were stowed away just in case among the rest of the items they hauled along on the expedition.

"A'ight, so there's five Oran berries just in case, an Escape Orb just in case, a Petrify Orb just in case, two Heal Seeds, a Luminous Orb, and enough food to get us through fine," Rush noted, double-checking the contents of the satchel that Rozen would be carrying. He looked to the Starstorm trio. "Y'all got the rest?"

"Two Blast Seeds, a few Slumber and Warp Wands, and an All-Protect Orb," Arashi noted of their own bag, glancing over the contents.

"Good. We should be set," the Scrafty declared. "Some of the 'Mon out there can be annoying as hell, and I ain't about to lose no fights with whoever the hell else is up there 'cause we weren't prepared."

It was a good philosophy, Astrid thought.

"C'mon, let's go barge into Shar's headquarters and bother Yunael," Rush remarked with a smirk, setting off for the stairs and motioning them along. "She can probably give us a much better idea of what's going on out there."

"She's much less scattered than she was yesterday," Adnea noted indifferently.

"Sh-she won't attack us, w-will she…?" Astrid piped up. "W-we just have to keep our distance is what Shar s-said… right…?"

Rush snickered, shooting the Dartrix a smirk. "Li'l-li'l Green, if she attacks us, I'll put a Togekiss-shaped hole in the wall, don't ya worry."

"As 'gnarly' as Shar might call such a maneuver, I don't think she'd appreciate you putting a hole in her wall, friend," Rozen nonchalantly chided.

The Scrafty scoffed playfully, giving Rozen a shove. Astrid blushed a bit under her feathers, while her partner got starry eyes for a moment.

Cinder was his usual standoffish, scoffing self, while Lazuli was much more amiable and shared a wink or two with Arashi, who still practically bubbled over with excitement. Dren was up and perched on the rooftop and bade them a warm farewell, as docile and friendly as an intimidating dragon could be. Very few figures were out stirring, but there was one Bewear out strolling around… or at least, what they would've assumed to be a Bewear had a Ditto face not peered back at them.

"Yo, Xeno!" Rush called, waving.

"Mornin', you guys!" the Ditto called back, giving another wave. "I heard from Shar about the Starry Peak incident! You're going out there?"

"Sure are!" Rush replied. "Where are you headed?"

"Me and the team are going off to Bramble Peak soon," Xeno answered. "There's been some commotion out there. We just don't get a break these days, do we? First Salem showing up, then _these_ incidents!"

Rush laughed. "The life of an expeditioner, am I right?!"

"Hah! That's exactly right! Take care out there, alright?"

"You too, Xeno!"

Adnea, though, crossed her arms while she floated along, looking contemplative. "Bramble Peak. That's another area I've been noticing odd occurrences in."

"R-really?" Raijin inquired, tapping his fingers together. "Will they be okay out there…?"

"Well, Xeno's a Ditto, so if his team is intercepted by a group of Beasts, his Transform would be useful," the Orbeetle mused, still as flat as could be. "You wouldn't know because you haven't seen it, but _this_ has already happened once."

Shortly, the Starstorm trio was getting a mental picture of someone else's memories, showing a certain Wobbuffet looking slightly peeved at a Xurkitree… or at least, what _would've_ been a Xurkitree had a Ditto face not replaced one of the front head spikes. Astrid blinked in stupor, Arashi looked uncertain, and Raijin twitched in surprise, all of them a bit stunned by the image.

"No offense, but I like you a lot better without a Ditto face," Arashi laughed awkwardly, giving Raijin a glance.

"_I_ like me a lot better without a Ditto face," Raijin easily concurred. "I hope he enjoys the form, but… that is _not_ what a Xurkitree is supposed to look like."

Rush went to giggling at their reactions, and Rozen too seemed a bit amused.

Nonetheless, the spiked metal gates on the front of the Gnarly Brigade's base were closed, but a Chatot with an eyepatch over one eye sat on top of them, preening until their bunch got closer.

She squawked, eyeing them playfully. "Mornin', mateys! What's the password?!"

"Open this damned gate, Polly, or I'll decapitate you," Rush replied with a smirk.

"_Ding, ding, ding!_" the Chatot chirped, fluttering down on the other side.

They heard a bit of skittering on the other side, but the gate was opening moments later. Astrid, though, blinked, a bit taken aback by the response Rush had given… but not exactly surprised, either.

"Wait, is that _actually_ the password?" Arashi inquired, awkwardly smiling.

"As far as passwords go, that's definitely a _gnarly_ one…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

Adnea, though, rolled her eyes. "_No,_ it's not," was her rather flat answer.

"There is no actual password," Rozen added nonchalantly.

Polly skipped out closer, snickering and giving the three unfamiliar ones a nudge with her wings. "It's just fun to act like there is," she explained with a smirk. "Then if someone acts all surprised, I know they're not from around here."

A cheeky wink followed shortly thereafter along with another snicker, and Astrid was again blushing underneath her feathers.

Arashi, on the other hand, wasn't fazed at all and seemed a bit excited at the idea. "Oh! So I could just walk up and say, 'Take me to your leader, lesser mortal!' and you'd let me in?"

"That's right!" Polly answered. "Or you could even pull what Len the Flapple did a few days ago and say, 'My mate left me, my son hates me, and my sister burned my house down!' and I'd let you in!"

The Frogadier giggled, but Astrid and Raijin still weren't quite sure what to make of such a system.

Once inside the base, it quickly became apparent that their 'gnarly' moniker was as accurate as could be, for the metallic black walls had some fairly prominent claw marks and dents in them from what looked like an all-out brawl, but whatever they came from, Astrid certainly wasn't going to ask. The floor was a very dark stone, and a staircase leading up was a very dark metal too with crimson spikes along the rails. Had she not known otherwise, Astrid would've guessed the place to be a standoffish dungeon… and not a dungeon of the 'mystery' variety, but rather something like a prison where _no one_ would venture of their own free volition. She couldn't help fluffing up a bit.

A certain Garchomp was out and stirring too, a Honchkrow and Aggron close at her side.

"Throw in at least five Heal Seeds, Azra," Shar said to the Aggron. "I'm gonna be Outraging for a _long_ time if we're gonna take this bastard down, and I don't need to be confused while I'm doing it."

"Will do," the Aggron replied. "This is gonna be _gnarly_, ohoho!"

Shar and the armored one both gave a spirited shout of agreement, Shar's claw and Azra's armored fist bumping together hard enough for a loud _CLANG_ to ring out through the base.

"Shar! They're here!" Polly called, immediately catching the attention of the others.

The Garchomp perked up. "Mornin', mateys!" she exclaimed, waving one claw. "Nice to see ya!"

"Mornin', Shar!" Rush replied. "How's Yunael?"

"Still gettin' all twitchy when someone gets close to her, but she's recovered pretty well," Shar answered, then motioning them up the stairs, "C'mon! She's up here!"

The Honchkrow, on the other hand, laughed under his breath. "She took over my roost for the time being," he noted, seeming rather amused at the situation. "Can you believe it? A cutesy fairy in _our_ domain?!"

"It _is_ rather ridiculous, Riven," Rozen concurred, giving the Honchkrow a smile.

Shar's underlings set to busying themselves elsewhere, Polly skittering off to the gate again and the other two vanishing behind a black curtain door. The Garchomp and the Coalition bunch headed off to another room upstairs with a rather large straw nest in the middle where sure enough, there was Yunael in the middle of it, along with a Scizor who kept a distance of a few meters while conversing with her.

Both the Scizor and Togekiss perked up on noticing they were no longer alone, but Yunael's gaze turned piercingly intent and she practically stared holes through them.

"We got her now, Seth," Shar noted to the metallic bug.

"Then I'll leave you to it," the Scizor replied. He studied the Togekiss for a second before shooting the Coalition bunch a narrow-eyed glance and noting, "Don't get too close to her; she almost Flamethrowered me when I checked on her about thirty minutes ago."

"You should stay about right there," the winged fairy suggested rather pointedly in concurrence. "I'm not sure what it is, but I just can't help wanting to attack anyone that gets too close, ahaha!"

They certainly believed it and kept their distance, Yunael smiling at her new company but spreading her wings out just a tiny bit as if she might take off and attack them if they took a step closer. She wasn't making any aggressive movements, but still, she stared them all down with a look in her eyes like something vicious stirred below the surface.

"We hear ya got busted up, Yunael," Rush noted with a smirk. "How are ya doing?"

"Better," was the answer. "I took one heck of an Ice Beam and crashed. That squad we ran into was something else, I'll tell you!"

The Togekiss' smile turned vicious momentarily as she spoke of 'the squad,' and she gave a few twitching flaps of her wings but didn't otherwise make a move. She seemed rather jumpy, as if she simply had a great deal of pent-up energy to release and no outlet to release it. Astrid certainly found it odd- Dren had mentioned her battling capabilities before and thus at least a _little_ bit of aggression was to be expected in some form, but the look on Yunael's face was completely different than when they'd seen her.

"How's her mind?" Rush inquired of the Orbeetle next to him.

"Better than last night," Adnea answered. "She's much more readable and feeling uncharacteristically aggressive, it would appear. It's definitely in line with the 'crazy' incidents, but less extreme."

Yunael perked up, her grin going bigger. "_Ha!_ Funny you mention that, because we walked into a _big_ incident! Millicent and Jingle just went nuts too!"

"Why don't you just go ahead and tell us what happened, a'ight?" Rush asked with a smirk, crossing his arms. "I know your team ain't weak, but they ain't come back yet, so obviously _somethin'_ huge had to have happened."

At that, the Togekiss suddenly got a very dismayed look and bleated out, "Oh, _our love didn't conquer_, that's what! It was _horrible!_ We got _out-loved!_ Can you believe it?! Team Sweetheart, _out-loved!_" She let out a howl of despair and appeared to inadvertently spit out the beginnings of a Flamethrower, but shortly she buried her face in her wings and wailed into her feathers instead. "And I thought we were all gonna have a _lovely_ afternoon on the summit, holding hands and singing and maybe Ama would share her egg with those weirdos and we'd make some friends! But _nope!_"

Shar rolled her eye and let out a heavy sigh at all the mention of love and loving gestures- clearly, she had other ideas on what comprised a fun afternoon.

Rush snickered. "Yunael, y'all and your love is great and all, but I'm gonna need that in phrases that everyone else can understand, 'cause I've got no idea what the hell you're on about!"

Yunael looked up from her wings, still pouting a bit with very pointed eyes. "_We got our butts kicked._"

That certainly got her message across clear as day.

"By whom?" Rozen gently inquired.

"I _still_ have no idea," the Togeskiss replied, fluttering her wings. "I've never seen Pokémon like them before, and they were calling each other by numbers and stuff! Their team lead was this big red dude with _huge_ muscles and they called him Fourteen-Five. Then there was Sixty-O-Three, and she was really tall and pretty and threw out strong attacks _really_ fast. The other one, Seven Thousand, looked kinda like a cuter Tentracruel made of glass and kept trying to poison everyone while calling it 'enlightenment,' and there was something _weird_ about that poison too! I mean, were there any new species discovered recently? _And what kind of names are those?!_"

Another cry of frustration came from Yunael and a little Aura Sphere followed along with it, apparently unwittingly, seeing as her countenance got a bit surprised as she fired it off too. Nonetheless, a Light Screen from Rozen quickly went up to block her attack.

"Sorry," Yunael said gingerly, going back to roosting. "I got a little… worked up. We haven't gotten beaten up like that in… well, never!"

"Buzzwole, Pheromosa, and Nihilego…" Raijin's voice trailed off, his fingers tapping together in contemplation.

The Togekiss perked up, giving Raijin a glance. "Huh? What was that? You know who I'm talking about?"

"Her memories show those three species too," Adnea noted. "Yunael, may I?"

"Show my memories? Sure, go ahead," Yunael didn't mind too much, giving a little shrug of her wings.

* * *

**Starry Peak 24F**

An upbeat melody filled the dungeon's rooms as Team Sweetheart traversed them, all of the members wearing giddy grins while the Blissey lead them with light, skipping steps. Whether the occupants were vicious and feisty or not, it seemed nothing could rain on the expeditioners' parade. A fainted Gourgeist was slumped against a shiny reflective part of the wall of one side, clearly having been carefully brushed free of any dirt by a furry scarf around a Cinccino's neck, but much more importantly, the stairs were easily seen on the other side of the room.

"Hating… Hating… _Loviiiiiing~!_" Chira sang, holding one of her scarves like a makeshift microphone.

"Ah! A-ah! Ah! A-ah! _Ah!_" Yunael filled the silence between the next line.

"What is it? What is it that we all can't forget~? Ama chirped happily.

"Where is the love~? We all need looooove~!" Jingle joined the refrain.

"Ah! A-ah! _Ah!_"

"Why, why, why, why can't I just hug the whole world~?!" the Cinccino chimed back in.

"And I'm still _not sure! _ How love's magic _works!_" Yunael piped up.

"If I told you how I felt, then my heart would _explode~!_" Jingle sang again.

Millicent didn't say a word, but instead made rapid gestures with her hands that her comrades understood the meaning fine enough- _*And maybe it's true! That we're all different!*_

"Just don't go ripping my heart out so easily~!" Ama ended the verse with a smile.

A cheerful whoop erupted from four of the five making their way through, while the Alcremie simply made a heart shape with her hands.

"Maybe the wild ones here can't understand us, but the language of love is universal," Ama giggled, giving her egg a pat. "Is everyone still doing alright~? This is the last floor; if we're in for a fight once we go up the stairs, I want everyone in good spirits!"

"No problems at all, Ama!" Jingle was quick to reply.

"I can throw down!" Yunael affirmed.

"I'm not tired at all," Chira brushed it off.

Millicent simply gave a thumbs-up.

Ama giggled, strolling up to the stairs with her comrades in tow before they all went skittering up them.

"Let's end the vicious streak, comrades! _May love and joy fill the world~!_" the Blissey called as she skipped up the steps.

"_May love and joy fill the world~!_" her comrades echoed.

**Starry Peak Summit**

Whether they were in for a fight or not, they couldn't tell straight away, but they certainly weren't alone once the next floor opened up. Their surroundings were akin to a cave with a large star-shaped opening leading out onto the sunny summit, but standing before them were three completely unfamiliar figures- a very thin white creature with antennae resembling a crown, a very swollen fluid-filled red figure with muscles bigger than a Machamp's, and a glassy floating creature tinted a very pale blue that swayed gently like a flower blowing in the breeze. All three of them had fairly conspicuous markings of letters and numbers on their bodies, all beginning with 'UB' but the string afterward varying between them. The thin white one carried a satchel slung over her back, while the swollen one carried a cube-shaped vessel strapped across his shoulders that seemed to twitch ever-so-slightly.

The two groups exchanged glances, the thin white creature snickering while Ama broke into a smile.

"Hi, there!" the Blissey greeted amiably, giving a little wave.

"Greetings, expeditioners!" the swollen one said back, flexing both of his magnificent arms. "Who might you be?"

"We're Team Sweetheart!" Ama giggled, bouncing a little on her feet. "I'm Ama; this is Chira, and Jingle, and Millicent, and Yunael!" She gestured at each of her comrades in turn as she pointed them out, then skittered a bit closer to the odd figures while patting her egg. "What about you~? If I'm honest, I'm not even sure what species you all are, so I think it's safe to say we've never met!"

"Squad Fourteen-Five, and I'm Fourteen-Five! These lovely ladies are my comrades Sixty-O-Three and Seven Thousand!" the hulking red creature answered, striking a different pose. "Say, would you happen to know anything about a human running around? We're looking for her, but we've been told she's very evasive and we're not familiar with these surroundings at all!"

Fourteen-Five's words left them rather befuddled for _several_ reasons, and almost as soon as he finished his thought, Team Sweetheart was exchanging funny but amiable glances among themselves. Sixty-O-Three was looking a bit impatient, one of her feet kicking at the ground as if she had far better places to be, while the glassy one next to her simply swayed nonchalantly without a care.

Ama chuckled, a bit confused. "A human? Those went extinct eons ago! Are you sure you didn't just meet a very feisty Ditto that got fascinated by a history book illustration? Because we have a Ditto in the Crossroads and I wouldn't put it past him to try that!"

"Oh, we're sure!" the hulking one easily replied. "She's in a Pokémon form, specifically in the Rowlet line, but she's a human! That's something an expeditioner would know about, right?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but an honest-to-goodness human running around is news to me, and you're right, I _should_ know about that if it's happening!" Ama brushed it off, still seeming a bit disbelieving. "But, if you're up here, then can I ask you something too?"

"What would that be?" Fourteen-Five replied, flexing again.

"We came out here to see why the wild ones were being so fussy," the Blissey explained. "Would you three happen to know why that is~? We haven't seen anything in the dungeon itself that would give us any clue, so it's gotta be something or someone else causing it! Have you seen anything?"

At that, Sixty-O-Three burst into laughter, while Seven Thousand gently clapped her tentacle arms together. Ama studied them for a moment, still smiling, but it was clear to Team Sweetheart that they were out of the loop on something.

"Oh, that would be us," Fourteen-Five answered like nothing was amiss, posing yet again. "And if you haven't seen the human, then our business here is done! Seven Thousand, give them enlightenment!"

More confusion.

"'Enlightenment?!'" Ama cried, still smiling but skeptical. "Hey! You can't leave us hanging like that! What's going on here?"

Seven Thousand, however, gave a giggle like a tinkling wind chime, a cloud of purple haze quickly dousing the air around her that descended on Ama's team.

"That's _Toxic!_" Chira cried, her expression changing to a disgruntled one.

Millicent was quick to give off a soothing cloud of Aromatherapy to keep them all from being poisoned. Whatever 'enlightenment' they were bringing certainly didn't seem like a variety that Team Sweetheart wanted to receive, but Ama held up one of her stubby arms to tell her comrades not to take to fighting yet while she skittered closer to Fourteen-Five's group, still smiling.

"Hey! Let's handle this like civilized Pokémon!" the Blissey said, giving her egg another pat. "Why do you think you have to fight us~? Just explain what's going on here and I'm sure we can reach an understanding! There's a reason you're making the wild ones upset, isn't there?"

"Seven Thousand do what Void do," the floating glassy one mused nonchalantly. "Seven Thousand give _everyone_ enlightenment that Seven Thousand can reach."

More odd looks came from Team Sweetheart.

"That's all the reason we need- Void wants this world," Fourteen-Five declared. "And if you're going to resist, then _so be it!_"

Shortly, Fourteen-Five's fist was balled up and Ama was gasping in horrified pain as a Hammer Arm slammed straight into her with enough force to crater the wall behind them had Chira's tail and Yunael's wing not stopped her from slamming into it. She was still conscious, but the gasping sounds and look of agony on Ama's face told them that she was _barely_ hanging on after the hit.

"_Finally!_" Sixty-O-Three cried in glee, an Ice Beam forming at the tips of her clawed hands. "Some _real _action!"

A Soft-Boiled light shone from Ama's egg that let her regain some of her vibrancy, and she put herself in front of the Ice Beam that otherwise would've hit Jingle, not minding it too much at all. She smiled again, albeit with narrow eyes. "If you think you're gonna walk all over us because we're cute, then you've got another thing coming! I love this world and all of its inhabitants too much to let you bother anyone else, and I love you three too, even if we've just met! And when someone you love needs to take a beating before they'll open up, you give it to them!"

"Oh, _that's adorable,_" Sixty-O-Three mocked, smirking.

"_Fine by us!_" Fourteen-Five laughed, striking a pose before balling his fists up again. "Let's get 'em, comrades!"

* * *

"Oh, it was _awful!_" Yunael shouted, giving a fussing flap of her wings. "Chira got KO'd by another Hammer Arm, and I'm not sure exactly _what_ happened, but after a few minutes, Millicent just went nuts and changed sides! She started giving us these angry looks and went to Decorating Fourteen-Five instead of _me!_"

A memory that Adnea showed them of a death-glaring Alcremie sitting on a Buzzwole's shoulder, drawing cream swirls on his head with one hand and running a finger across her neck in threat with the other hand, was quite an odd sight.

"Then Jingle lost his cool too and started turning on Ama, and before long, Ama was yelling at me to fly away before I went nuts too! So I did that, but then Sixty-O-Three hit me with an Ice Beam before I could get out of her range, and I went crashing into wherever the heck it was that Shar's bunch found me! _Ugh!_"

Another little Flamethrower escaped the Togekiss at her shout of objection, and she hunkered down with a pout on her face. Astrid had to admit, it certainly sounded like a mission to be unhappy with, and she mulled over every bit of info that Yunael's memories provided.

Adnea was clearly poring over them too, and shortly, the Orbeetle was sharing more memories with them.

* * *

"_Oh, jeez…!_" Yunael gasped in pain, her face contorting after getting beamed by Seven Thousand's Power Gem.

She had to move again fairly quickly when a Stone Edge from Fourteen-Five shot up out of the ground at her, for she didn't feel like she could take another hit and stay conscious. The Togekiss and Blissey were evidently the only ones left with any shred of reason, but still, Yunael couldn't shake off the feeling of something tugging at the back of her mind telling her to go ballistic and launch attacks at anything in range. Millicent had taken to perching on Seven Thousand's bell next, drawing little cream swirls while glaring, and Jingle apparently could only growl while he spit attack after attack at anyone but Fourteen-Five's squad. Sixty-O-Three laughed almost hysterically at Team Sweetheart's struggles, and Fourteen-Five had no shortage of poses to throw around even in the midst of their battle, while Seven Thousand simply swayed.

"H-hey, Yunael!" Ama cried in a dismayed voice, Refreshing herself from a Toxic while simultaneously attempting to avoid Jingle's Flamethrower and Fourteen-Five's Hammer Arm.

"What is it, Ama?!" Yunael called back, Air Slashing at their stick-thin foe.

Sixty-O-Three simply smirked at Yunael's attack, practically dancing out of the way like absolutely nothing was wrong. It was hard to keep up with her movements for as fast as she moved, and all the while she was grinning and laughing. Ama, on the other hand, spit an Ice Beam at Fourteen-Five while jumping away from his powerful fists, eliciting a yell of protest and discomfort from the swollen one, but while he was certainly damaged by it, it wasn't enough to knock him out. The lead sweetheart looked hesitantly at her dragon comrade, who snarled and snapped at her, but apparently she didn't have it in her to attack him outright.

"You can fly; get out of here!" the Blissey hollered, skittering away from the Dragon Breath that followed. "If we're all going crazy up here, then I want to keep it to a minimum!"

Sixty-O-Three burst into more laughter. "Pffft, giving up?! Haven't you seen an Ultra Beast before?! This is _nothing!_"

Fourteen-Five couldn't help but laugh too. "Oh, obviously they haven't, Sixty-O-Three! Otherwise they would've known how _stupid_ of an idea it was to battle!"

Yunael was hesitant at the idea of ditching, but as Sixty-O-Three's Ice Beam sailed straight at her, she wasn't going to deny that the battle they were locked in didn't seem very likely to end in their favor. Nonetheless, she called back down at Ama, "Are you sure?! I don't wanna ditch you guys, Ama!"

"_I'm sure!_" the Blissey hollered back. "I'm starting to feel weird, too…!"

"You not feel weird, you feel enlightened," Seven Thousand chimed in nonchalantly, preparing to Venoshock Ama even if the Happiness Pokémon was (at least, seemingly) free of poison. "You understand soon enough."

That was all the cue Yunael needed. If her team lead was succumbing too, then there certainly wasn't hope for anyone else. She fought the idea for a second, but nonetheless wasn't going to protest if Ama was telling her to get out.

Fourteen-Five, though, went and picked up the glowing cube-shaped vessel from its haphazard place out of their way. "Be ready to give us a wormhole, little nebula! That human couldn't have gone _too_ far away from where Salem saw her last!"

Sixty-O-Three perked up, shooting the glowing cube a glare. "And don't _fuck it up_ this time! This is _literally_ the only reason Void lets you worthless clouds live!"

Whatever it was they were referring to, Yunael wasn't going to stick around to see. She cast Ama one last hesitant glance and bolted off through the air towards the Crossroads again, still a bit shaky from Seven Thousand's attack but nonetheless keeping it together fine enough… at least, until another Ice Beam came from behind her that she couldn't hope to hang on from. Her feathers started icing over, the chill spreading, until shortly her entire form was frozen solid. Whether she wanted to stay airborne, or even stay _conscious_ or not, her vision started going black as the treetops underneath her got far too close for comfort.

* * *

The Togekiss shot Astrid a glance. "Don't ever get frozen solid or KO'd mid-flight, because it _sucks_," she noted flippantly.

Astrid couldn't help but agree with Yunael's sentiments, but at the same time, she refrained from mentioning that, seconds after she'd arrived to their world, she too had been KO'd and it did indeed suck. Nonetheless, having Yunael's eyes locked on her was enough to make the Dartrix fluff up and try to sink into her feathers to avoid her gaze.

Rush, though, snickered a bit, then shot Raijin a glance. "You weren't lyin' about those damned Buzzwoles flexing all the time," he laughed.

Rozen, on the other hand, had a contemplatively unamused countenance. "'Seven Thousand?' There's _seven thousand_ Beasts under Void?" he mused flatly, clearly not happy at the idea.

"And probably seven thousand more after her, too," Raijin noted.

That exchange caught Yunael's attention and she turned towards them with a fierce look in her eyes, practically staring holes through the Xurkitree in particular. "Alright, what gives?! You know something, don't you?!"

Without saying a word, Raijin held one arm out towards the Togekiss and twisted one of the cables around, showing his own mark of UB03-0067 just like the figures in Yunael's memories. She studied it for a second, but moments after realizing what it was, her countenance turned furious and very quickly, Rozen was throwing up a Light Screen while she shot off an Aura Sphere at Raijin.

"_You're one of them!_" Yunael hissed, jumping up and breathing a Flamethrower next. "_I'm gonna blast you into oblivion! Gyaaaah!_"

All of those present herded behind Rozen's shields, the Togekiss setting off a Dazzling Gleam without missing a beat. Astrid let out a distressed squawk at seeing her turn vicious so quickly, and Arashi laughed uncomfortably with startled eyes.

"M-maybe that wasn't a good idea!" Raijin hesitantly exclaimed.

Rush laughed, not fazed at all and grinning. "Look at 'er go! Daaaaamn, Yunael!"

"_Gnarly!_" Shar shared the Scrafty's sentiment.

Adnea, though, got as close as she could to the shield without touching it and stared the Togekiss straight in the eyes, her own eyes taking on an unearthly glow. Yunael hissed at her too, spitting another Flamethrower that didn't do much but slightly shake the Light Screen.

"_Stop it,_" Adnea said rather forcefully.

More hissing and growling came from the Togekiss, but her attacks died down even if she looked like she wanted to blow them all away.

"_Stop it_, Yunael," the Orbeetle repeated, equally as stern. "Calm yourself. You will _not_ attack anyone."

The growling and fussing slowed to a halt seconds later, and Yunael's eyes took the same glow as Adnea's. Shortly, the winged fairy went back to roosting, her expression peaceful again, and Adnea eased up on the Hypnosis while Rozen's Light Screen faded.

"Are you going to behave yourself?" the Orbeetle nonetheless asked very pointedly as the shine from her eyes died down.

Yunael giggled, the glow fading from her eyes as well. "Yeah! Sorry about that; I lost my cool!"

Rush chuckled, casting the Starstorm trio a glance. "You three see that? _That's_ why she's comin' with us- ain't nobody out there that can stop raging 'Mon without even touching 'em quite like Adnea."

Astrid certainly took note of it, eyeing the Orbeetle next, and Arashi seemed entranced even without being Hypnotized himself.

Raijin, though, twitched a bit in uncertainty. "D-did she just…?" his voice trailed off.

"The neurotoxin will have to wear off on its own, but if it's interfering with her mind, then that is well within the realm of things I can deal with," Adnea quickly noted. "There's no point to battling if you can settle things swiftly by _other_ methods, and I'd much rather save my moves for when my preferred method fails."

The Xurkitree relaxed. "In that case, I'm thanking your gods that there's more psychics here than there are in Ultra Space…"

Rush smirked again. "She's great, ain't she?" he snickered, then casting their Beast comrade another glance, "A'ight, give us the breakdown, Raijin. What's your takeaway there? Anything we should be aware of?"

Raijin nodded. "First of all, aside from the obvious issue of who they're looking for, they've got a Cosmog," he promptly answered. "That vessel that Fourteen-Five was carrying is a dead giveaway, and it's locked inside. From what it sounds like, it might not be too experienced at opening up wormholes, but that's still a _huge_ caution to us. If we come across them and they recognize Astrid, all it'd take is _one_ slip-up on our end for them to get ahold of her and be back on Ultra Space, and you know what that'd mean."

Astrid's eyes widened, and Arashi stuck an arm around her.

"Yunael, did Seven Thousand use Reflect at any point?" the Xurkitree asked, turning to the Togekiss again.

"She sure did!" Yunael answered. "Ama was gonna Counter Sixty-O-Three, but it got blocked by Reflect!"

"Of course," Raijin remarked. "Toxic, Venoshock, Power Gem, and Reflect- pretty common for a Nihilego. Yunael's aerial position must have put her out of the way of most of the poison since everyone else was running around on the ground, and that's why she's pretty mild in comparison to what else we've seen, otherwise she'd be praising Void just like Squad Fourteen-Five and throwing attacks at us for not being on her side. Seven Thousand probably couldn't exert enough of an influence to do much else than this to her, but when we see the rest of Team Sweetheart, I can guarantee you it's gonna be a different story. Millicent and Jingle are already blatantly under the effects."

As jumpy as Yunael was acting, her case being a mild one made sense too. She wasn't overtly leveling grievous threats like the Clefable and Rhyperior that Astrid and Arashi had been involved with, and she seemed far more confused about the Beast trio she'd met than anything.

"And based on the fact that Fourteen-Five wasn't using Earthquake to hit everyone, it's safe to say he doesn't use that move… which _I'm_ happy about, at least," the Xurkitree noted next. "If I had to guess his set, I'd say Hammer Arm, Stone Edge, and Leech Life for sure, then maybe throw in a Thunder Punch, Mega Punch, or Counter depending on what coverage they need."

The other two of the Starstorm trio got hesitant looks at the mention of Mega Punch, immediately thinking of Zariel's ridiculous feat with using the same move. Certainly, they didn't want to see what a move like that coming from someone _specifically_ very good at punching would entail.

"What did you see Sixty-O-Three use?" Raijin inquired of Yunael. "Ice Beam, obviously, but anything else?"

"Well, she kept trying to knock me out of the sky with Ice Beam and Ama got hit by a Lunge," the Togekiss answered.

The Xurkitree nodded. "Then I'd bet on her set being Lunge, Focus Blast, Ice Beam, and Poison Jab- Focus Blast being a special swap for Fourteen-Five's Hammer Arm and Poison Jab being a physical swap for Seven Thousand's Venoshock. It's obvious she's not there for defense, so she's probably there for added coverage in the areas that the other two aren't good at."

They all took it in for a second, though Yunael still looked extraordinarily out of the loop. It definitely sounded like a good setup, and Astrid mentally catalogued every word that her comrade said on the matter. If Fourteen-Five's squad was out looking for her, she didn't want to be caught off guard by anything they might pull.

"Okay, seriously," the Togekiss chuckled, looking inquisitively at Raijin. "What's the deal? You sound awfully familiar with these Pokémon."

"We'll let you in on it later, Yunael," Rush quickly chimed in again. "You can pester Shar about it if you wanna- we showed her everything last night. But for right now, we're gonna go get your team back!"

It seemed the Scrafty wanted nothing more than to do just that, for he snickered again while pounding one fist into his other hand as if he just couldn't wait to pound it into someone else. The Garchomp next to him snickered a bit too, tapping her claws together mischievously.

"Y-you are?!" Yunael exclaimed, getting an excited look and jumping up again. "Well, I guess if anyone could, it's you guys!" then in a much more jesting manner, "Give Ama a few good punches for me, alright~?"

Rush cackled, crossing his arms and looking gleeful at the thought. "Don't you worry! I'll tell 'er you said hi while we're whooping their asses, ehehe!"

The Togekiss giggled, settling back down though the hint of bridled aggression returned to her countenance at the mention of 'whooping their asses.' Still, it apparently wasn't anything she had any desire to act upon, for she curled right up as if she were about to take a peaceful nap.

"C'mon, guys, let's get going," Rush commanded, motioning them all out. "We got some crazies to stomp!"

Arashi had to give Yunael a friendly wave before heading off, which the Togekiss returned, and shortly they were all off down the stairs and out the door again.

"Take care out there!" Shar called. "If I have to get some mateys myself, go up to Starry Peak, and have a _gnarly_ fight with _two _teams, I'll be Outraging for days!"

"Don't ya worry, Shar!" Rush called back. "Don't let Yunael fly off the deep end, a'ight?!"

"_Don't ya worry, Rush!_ Bwahahahaha!"

Rush kept smirking and walked with a swagger in his step, while neither Adnea nor Rozen seemed all that fazed. Astrid couldn't help but feel rather cautious, but when Arashi shot her a grin, she eased up a bit. Adnea gave the Frogadier a bit of a side-eye, her expression utterly stoic, but Astrid could tell that the Orbeetle knew exactly what her comrade was thinking (and that it was probably something along the lines of 'This is the best day ever!').

"A'ight, so we got 25 floors full of aggressive wild 'Mon to conquer," Rush remarked, slamming a fist into his other hand again. "Then we gotta beat some sense into those sweethearts. And y'know, I just gotta say… _This is my type of mission, ehehe!_"

He seemed as giddy as a little child in a candy store.

"You like this sort of thing?" Arashi inquired, grinning.

"I _love_ it," was the easy answer, the Scrafty's grin turning wild-eyed. "What fun is life without someone trying to put your head through a wall?! Ehehehehe!"

Rozen chuckled a bit too. "Oh, be careful what you wish for, friend."

The Audino was receiving a playful shove moments thereafter, Rush not fazed at all.

Astrid certainly hoped that no one would get their head put through a wall, but if such were to happen… then perhaps it was a good thing that her team was travelling with someone that didn't seem to mind. She couldn't help being a bit hesitant at what they were facing, and Yunael's memories hadn't boded particularly well in regards to the Beast triad that had caused the issue at hand. Still, if they were going to face a poisoned, combatant Team Sweetheart, she was certainly glad for Rush, Rozen, and Adnea being present. Surely, the six of them could pull it off… surely.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Team Sweetheart's song here is sung to the chorus of __"Marisa Stole the Precious Thing" by IOSYS, a rather ridiculous love song from Touhou Project fanworks. What can I say, cutesy though it may be, anything that opens with the line "Pounding five-inch nails into straw effigies" is a big WIN in my book. (I quite like S.S.H.'s metalcore rendition of it, hehehe.)_


	35. Chapter 35: The Love of 'Enlightenment'

_**Author's note**__: A bit of a miscellaneous note, but if you're like me and you like listening to music while reading pages on the web, allow me to recommend "The Centennial Festival for Magical Girls" from Embodiment of Scarlet Devil's extra stage. I can't help thinking it could easily fit right into a PMD game, especially one from the DS era, and it's got the sort of atmosphere that I wanted this next dungeon to give off. (I'm also just a sucker for Touhou Project and anything ZUN composes in general, be that what it may.)_

_Also, I became aware of some system glitch last week after I posted chapter 34, and for a day or two, it seemed to be deleted without any attempt to do so on my end... I do hope that will not happen this time, hehe._

* * *

By all indications, it would have been a lovely day- the serene green surroundings of the mountain were dotted in delicate blooms of nearly every color, the sun beamed down in warm rays from a cloudless sky, and the air was pleasant. Crystalline shards jutted up from the ground that reflected their surroundings and bent light like a prism to scatter little rainbows across the ground, giving the fields an almost ethereal look. Starry Peak itself was fairly steep, almost akin to a big spike sticking out of the ground with a few flatter rock faces jutting off of the sides here and there, and all of them were covered in the same grassy green as the ground below with crystalline fixtures acting as natural ornamentation. They could generally tell where the top of the mountain was by looking up at it, but whatever was _on_ the top wasn't visible where the steep sides suddenly flattened out. Two large prism shards at the entrance to a cave on the bottom practically beckoned any expeditioner in with its enchanting look, but all the same…

"Incoming," Adnea said, quick but still flat.

"_SkreeeeEEEEEEE!_"

In moments, all of them turned their gazes up to see a screeching Skarmory dive-bombing down at them, and a few startled cries came from the Starstorm trio while Rozen put up a Reflect to block a vicious Metal Claw. Astrid instinctively hardened one wing and held it up in front of her, but she stood down when the armored avian's sharp feathers slashed away with reckless abandon to absolutely no avail.

"Well, 'sup to you too!" Rush exclaimed, getting a shifty-eyed smirk and balling one fist up.

The Skarmory landed and spread its wings out, still screeching away, but with no hesitation whatsoever, Rush bolted up closer to it and pounded his fist into its chest hard enough that the armored plating bent inwards with an uncomfortable _thud_. A muffled squawk came from the wild one, but whatever move it was planning on making next was cut short when its yellow eyes drooped shut and it fell in a limp heap on the ground.

"Nice try, asshat," the Scrafty laughed. "Next time, _try harder!_"

Astrid blinked, studying the fainted one for a second and _almost_ feeling a bit sorry for it. She was definitely glad for Rozen's shield keeping them all unscathed with the sharpened wings glinting in the sunlight, for they surely had to feel… unpleasant. Arashi grinned again, but from the way his mouth contorted, she could easily tell he was trying not to look like a fanboy in front of his idols for seemingly the umpteenth time that day.

"I can tell Team Sweetheart is up at the top," Adnea noted, side-eyeing the steep sides of the mountain and glancing up at the upper boundaries. "They don't seem like themselves, to put it lightly. And thankfully, they're _all_ I can get a feel of, so if Squad Fourteen-Five is still in the vicinity, we don't have to worry about them for the time being."

Astrid felt relief at that, but Rush looked playfully downcast and slammed a fist into one palm again.

"Maaaaan, I was kinda hopin' we'd see 'em!" the Scrafty laughed, getting a shifty grin. "Yo, Raijin, you say Nihilegos are supposed to be awful at taking physical hits, so what happens if ya punch one? Do they _break~?_"

Rozen rolled his eyes at his comrade's inquiry.

"W-well, they definitely can, yes," the Xurkitree replied, sounding rather subdued and tapping his fingers together. "Back when Void didn't have Salem and didn't like others of her species, I was on a team with a Kartana, and they hit a Nihilego with Sacred Sword… It was _ugly_. Really, _really_ ugly. That poor thing shattered like glass and poison went _everywhere_."

Rush snickered a bit at the information, perhaps wanting to see if Seven Thousand would shatter like glass too. Astrid fluffed out at the mental picture that her comrade's words gave her, imagining that truly, being shattered like glass would be an _awful_ way to leave the mortal realm. Her partner looked a bit uncomfortable at the idea too, and clearly Raijin was hesitant about conveying it as well when he shuddered and went shrinking up.

Rozen gave the Scrafty another nudge. "Now, now, friend, are you sure you aren't another crazy incident as well? You sound awfully eager to go punching others."

Rush snickered. "What?" he brushed it off. "Fourteen-Five's squad wants to show up, poison Team Sweetheart, and spread Void's bullshit enlightenment. _I_ wanna _punch_ them and tell them 'Welcome to the world of Pokémon, bitches!' and make 'em crawl back to their boss crying! Ain't nothing wrong with that!"

The Coalition boss crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, giving a hearty cackle. Rozen chuckled as well, clearly sharing the sentiment but not feeling quite as strongly.

"Incoming," Adnea flatly piped up again.

Another wild one, a (rather small) Gourgeist, came rushing out from behind a crystalline shard while screeching and trying to tangle anyone it could reach up in its arms, but a quick Throat Chop from Rush cut its rampage short before it could do any harm.

**Starry Peak 1F**

The inside wasn't _as_ overtly bright and happy as the outside, but it still did not carry the feeling of a dungeon with overly aggressive dungeon-dwellers in the slightest. Dark purplish cavern walls made up their surroundings with a few crystalline plates embedded into them like diamond-esque mirrors, and a few smaller crystalline shards overhead glowed like little prismatic stars (which Astrid assumed the dungeon name came from). More little rainbows scattered across the floor from both the shine of the shimmering shards overhead and Raijin's glow, the light refracted through the prismatic stones. A very small amount of blooming flowers poked up through a few cracks in the ground, but by and large, the lush garden environment of the outside had been replaced with sleek stone.

"U-um…" Raijin piped up, tapping his fingers together, "I don't mean to be a nuisance, but is the floor entirely rock here…?"

Rush chuckled. "You're worried about recharging, yeah?"

"Yes," the Xurkitree answered. "It's hard to do in rocky environments and the longest I've made it in a dungeon without recharging was 15 floors, so if there's 25 here, I probably won't be very useful…"

"Don't worry," Rush brushed it off. "I wouldn't drag ya out here without having a plan for something like that! I'm not _that_ kind of bastard, ehehe!"

_Wham!_

The next moment, the ground had a Scrafty's fist pounding into it, to which the purple stone shattered and revealed some packed dirt underneath that was much friendlier for plugging into. The Starstorm trio all gave slight jolts of surprise, Astrid fluffing up again at seeing Rush so easily bust through the rocky terrain while Arashi couldn't help grinning.

"Give it a try and tell me if it works," Rush said, not too concerned. "I don't wanna string you along and make you miserable."

Raijin nodded, his tail plugging into the ground. "I-it's fine. It'll work."

"Good," the Scrafty said, looking about at their surroundings, then to Adnea next. "How many?" he asked her.

"Five altogether- one in the room next to us and two to the south," the Orbeetle replied. "The other two are attacking each other and will probably faint soon."

Another laugh came from the Coalition lead. "Hah! Must be havin' fun!"

Nonetheless, of the three corridors to pick from- one behind, one in front, and one to their right- Rush headed for the one in front of them, a swagger in his step and the rest close in tow.

"How many what?" Arashi inquired. "Is that the number of dungeon-dwellers?"

"It is," the Orbeetle answered. "They're all scatter-brained and aggressive too, but I suppose that's to be expected from a dungeon-dweller regardless. It's still a marked difference than usual."

Astrid blinked, thinking that Adnea's capabilities were already proving to be extremely useful.

"I guess I oughtta give y'all a heads-up on what's here," Rush noted, shooting a glance back at the Starstorm trio. "You got some Skarmories here and there, but they're mostly in the upper floors. We'll probably see a Florges or three every floor, and some Gourgeists that get bigger the further up you go. And I should probably mention about those Gourgeists that some of 'em make biiiiig-ass Explosions, so don't just go running up to 'em without Rozen protectin' ya. There's some Flaaffies runnin' around too, and they just _love_ being annoying. Then there's Mr. Mime, specifically the Ice-type variant… and those are annoying as hell too if ya find one with Screen Cleaner."

They took it in, and Astrid catalogued every piece of information. She almost wanted to remember something about Mr. Mime's icy form having a more specific term to a specific geographic location… but she couldn't place where that recollection was coming from, or even what geographic location it would refer to.

"C-can I ask something kinda random…?" Raijin asked, sounding a bit confused.

"What's up?" Rush replied.

"Why _is_ that species called Mr. Mime?" was the inquiry. "I mean… half of them are female, right? Wouldn't those ones be called 'Ms. Mime,' assuming that they _don't_ prefer to be referred to with masculine terms?"

"Oh, some of them prefer to be called 'Ms. Mime,' yes," Adnea noted. "And some of them are fine with 'Mr. Mime' while still being understood and referred to as female. But as for why they're collectively a bunch of Mr. Mimes, your guess is as good as ours. That would require combing over a history of the origins of the Mime Jr. line and why that name has stuck around, something I unfortunately am not in possession of."

Raijin nodded. "… That makes more sense."

"This place is _pretty_," Arashi piped up, looking around at all the glowing crystals and rainbows.

"You think so, Li'l Blue?" Rush snickered. "I think it's too damn flashy, but apparently I'm close to the only one that does. This is one of those places that some 'Mon like to come to, thinkin' they could run off with some of those glowing crystals 'cause they're pretty as hell or whatever, but then they don't realize that they're locked in for 25 floors with some wild ones that, even _without_ a neurotoxin makin' 'em crazy, can give ya hell. There's been _way_ too many unprepared folks that run in here, get paralyzed by a Flaaffy, and wind up with a Gourgeist tryin' to rip their soul out."

Astrid's eyes went wide at the casual mention anyone's soul getting ripped out. If a Gourgeist showed up, their team definitely had the advantage, but nonetheless she couldn't help piping up, "H-has that happened to anyone…?"

"If it has, the victim wouldn't be able to tell us," Adnea matter-of-factly noted. "We can never know for sure."

She accepted the answer, but nonetheless blinked a few times in uncertainty. She certainly wouldn't be letting any Gourgeists grab hold of her to try.

True to Adnea's words, there were no dungeon-dwellers in the room they entered, but a cracked surface on one of the reflective surfaces indicated that one had at least been there prior. It definitely looked like someone had punched the wall, or perhaps slammed someone else into it, and if two of the dungeon-dwellers were having a fit at each other, it wasn't hard to guess where the damage had come from. There was only one corridor to the room, and the opening had a bit of damage as if it too had taken a hit meant for another target.

The Orbeetle chimed in again, "There's a Florges headed this way. We should stay put so we don't get boxed in."

Rush nodded, and preemptively, Rozen was setting up a Light Screen in front of them. Sure enough, seconds later, an elegant green figure with a mane of pink flowers came floating down the hallway, and immediately on seeing outside company, started snarling and set to revving up a Moonblast while glaring daggers at them all. Whatever it was saying, if it was saying _anything_, they had no clue, but the fairy sounded nothing short of furious.

"I got this one!" Rush shouted, balling up one fist and spitting a poisonous ooze onto it.

The Moonblast crashed into Rozen's shield and dissipated, to which Rush darted out from behind it and, becoming cloaked in the white aura of the Audino's Helping Hand, Poison Jabbed his fist straight into the Florges while it was in the preliminary of firing off another lunar burst. With a still-angry face, the Florges cried out in pain and reached out one hand to recklessly claw at the Scrafty, but soon enough, it was going limp from the damage and slumped over on the ground with its flower mane and leaves haphazardly strewn around it.

"Don't worry; I ain't gonna steal all the action," Rush remarked, smirking. "I just really don't like fairies when they ain't on my side, ehehe!"

"Why don't you?" Arashi inquired, still starry-eyed.

Astrid had to figure that it was on account of being doubly weak to Fairy-types, which would certainly sour anyone towards wild fairies.

"'Cause if they hit me with a Fairy-type move, I'd be fucked," Rush replied, snickering. "But that's the fun of it! Ain't no fun if there ain't no risk of getting your ass kicked!"

The Frogadier was clearly hanging on the Coalition lead's every word and trying not to turn into a fanboy, but even if he said nothing, Astrid could tell from the look in his eyes that her partner was likely mentally gushing to himself about how cool he thought Rush was. She couldn't help thinking that there being 'no fun' if taking grievous damage wasn't a possibility was nothing short of ridiculous, but she wasn't going to protest it either… at least, provided she wouldn't be shoved in front of a Mr. Mime's Icy Wind for the 'fun' of it.

"Two more down, two left," Adnea noted shortly thereafter.

"They faint?" Rush asked.

"Indeed. Two rooms east is a Mr. Mime with a limp, frost-covered Skarmory's talons sunk into its chest."

"That sounds painful…" Raijin's voice trailed off, the Xurkitree giving an uncertain twitch.

Astrid blinked, and Arashi got a bit of a surprised look. It had to feel like _something_, and 'painful' was probably as accurate of a descriptor as any.

"One of the wild ones has caught a glimpse of the stairs too," the Orbeetle informed next. "One room west and two south."

"Gotcha," Rush affirmed. "Let's get 'em."

**Starry Peak 2F**

There was something particularly reassuring about having Adnea update everyone on the locations of the dungeon-dwellers, for all worry of getting ambushed with no warning was virtually gone. A fainted Flaaffy, done in by some other dungeon-dweller, was slumped in the corner of one room with frost stuck to its fur, more icy shards sparkling on the wall behind it that gave the air a slight chill. Perhaps it meant less targets to face, but the ones that did venture close were _plenty_ riled up to compensate.

A snarling and shrieking Gougeist's arms flailed at Rozen's Reflect while its shadow elongated and struck at the Orbeetle staring it down, and a glaring Flaaffy let out a Growl that made Astrid's feathers stand on end for a second.

"_Calm down_," Adnea forcefully said to the Gourgeist, her eyes glowing ethereally at the one on the other side of the screen as its Shadow Sneak ripped at another shield behind her. "You will _not_ hurt anyone."

The wild one was still growling away even as its own eyes began to glow too. The Flaaffy, on the other hand, sent off a Thunder Wave at Astrid, but her Beast comrade immune to its effects reached a hand out and intercepted it with no problems while the Dartrix stirred up an Ominous Wind. Her spectral breeze definitely upset the Gourgeist too, but the most that the ghostly gourd did was snarl a bit before falling into a hypnotic sleep. However, the fluffy Electric-type certainly didn't take kindly to the attack and started sparking, not _nearly_ as intimidatingly so as Raijin, but nonetheless enough to garner attention.

"Aaaaand that's a Discharge!" Rush exclaimed.

Arashi got an uncomfortable smile and let out a cry of protest, practically hiding between Astrid and Raijin even as a wall of Light Screens surrounded them all. Astrid stuck a wing around her comrade indifferently as if the shields weren't there, and moments later, a flurry of sparks filled the room from their conscious wild company. It _definitely_ didn't have the raw power that their Xurkitree comrade's did, but still, no one particularly wanted to get hit by it regardless.

"Is it just me, or is everything pink and fluffy kinda problematic if you're battling it?" Arashi remarked, easily taking Astrid's wing as a hiding place. "I mean, you can't touch _these_ things because of their Static, Rozen blocks every attack, and it sounds like Ama is basically immoveable!"

Rush laughed. "You ain't wrong!"

Rozen chuckled at the mention.

Nonetheless, once the sparks died down, the Flaaffy wasn't wasting any time in attacking again and dropped onto all fours, still growling and snarling away. It charged in a Take Down, another Reflect going up that Arashi spit an Ice Beam through, and even if the fluffy wild one had taken damage, its aggression was drowning out the fatigue. It smashed into the shield, a pained look on its face while it still tried its best to rake at the Starstorm trio with its front paws, but set back to sparking moments later. Whatever it was planning on using, it didn't get much chance to attack before an Energy Ball flew through the screen and knocked it out. Even if the Gourgeist was asleep and not bothering anyone, Rozen's shields dropped again and Rush Throat Chopped the ghostly one to make it go limp too.

"Two left, and a Mr. Mime just noticed the stir from an adjacent room," Adnea noted. "We should head east if you don't want to get held up by it."

Rush snickered, nonetheless motioning them all into a corridor to their right. "We still got places to be."

"Hey, Adnea," Arashi piped up, grinning. "You hardly ever go on missions, right? Why don't you? It seems like you'd be really great to have around!"

"Because it's far less efficient," the Orbeetle replied without missing a beat, still unconcerned and aloof. "It's more difficult to monitor the world from within dungeon walls, and when I am in a dungeon, my priority is keeping check of our expedition team's surroundings rather than the much larger area around our base. It's much better for everyone that I stay away from running expeditions and concentrate on nailing down where unpleasant things are occurring. As it is now, Salem could come waltzing into Craggy Crossroads and I might not notice until she set to torching whatever she fancied, but that's a tradeoff that's excusable in this case."

"We've all got our niches," Rozen gently noted. "I'm horrendous at battling so I support the team instead, Rush does what Rush does best and jumps into fights when they come, Dren scares away no-gooders, Adnea knows when and where trouble is brewing, Lazuli fits terrain that the rest of us don't, and Cinder is the best at being Cinder."

Astrid had to wonder what 'being Cinder' entailed aside from literally being the Fletchinder in question, but she didn't pay it much mind either as they entered another room. It was empty save for a larger crystalline shard jabbing up from the floor and their own reflections on some of the wall's shinier surface.

Arashi, however, couldn't help getting starry eyes again at the Audino's explanation. "Hah, you guys have amazing synergy…!" he breathed, utterly starstruck and trying (but failing) to keep his fanboyish tendencies under wraps.

The Orbeetle, however, piped up before anyone else could say a word, shooting piercing glances at all three members of the Starstorm trio. "Don't ask. It's an endeavor best left alone."

Astrid perked up again, unsure of what she meant, and Raijin too gave an uncertain twitch.

"Huh?" Arashi inquired, giving Adnea a confused grin. "Ask what?"

"About Cinder being perpetually fussy and not being fully evolved," the researcher easily replied. "All three of you were thinking it."

The Dartrix definitely was, and she wasn't too surprised that her comrades were as well. They certainly all had a few questions lingering in their minds, but a dungeon run to bring back a poisoned Team Sweetheart was hardly the time or place to ask regardless.

The Scrafty laughed. "We don't talk about that," he remarked, smirking mischievously. "Y'all can ask _him_, but don't ya come crying to me if he Flamethrowers you right after, ehehe!"

At that, Arashi gave both Astrid and Raijin a giddy look. "I already said I would! You guys said you'd back me up! Let's do it!"

"You will not," Adnea sternly shot it down not even moments after it left the Frogadier's mouth. "If you start a fight while in HQ, I will Hypnotize all three of you into sleep and erase the initial inclination from your minds altogether. You are better than such infantile antics."

Astrid fluffed up, Raijin shrank up, and Arashi's grin turned awkward while Rush and Rozen simply giggled softly at the warning. The Orbeetle's trenchant tone made them all feel like they'd been backed into a corner by a foe, even if nothing of the sort was happening.

"N-never mind!" Arashi squeaked in cheerful uncertainty.

**Starry Peak 4F**

"Oh, jeez! Not _this_ again!" Arashi exclaimed.

Had Adnea not alerted them to a Florges being in the adjacent corridor, the swath of petals that filled their surroundings would've been as good of a warning as anything. Thankfully, Rozen's Reflect shielded them all as a Petal Blizzard rained down, the garden fairy sending it looking as peeved as could be at the expeditioners in its territory.

"A-at least it's not as bad as Lurantis' was," Astrid softly mused.

Her partner gave her a knowing look of concurrence.

"Li'l-li'l Green, harden up a wing and bust that thing over the head," Rush said, still eyeing the Florges with a smirk.

The Florges snarled, and the Dartrix fluffed up, but nonetheless her wing took a steely glow and she darted out from behind the shields. Shortly, the fairy turned its attention on her next and fired up a Moonblast that again made Astrid feel a bit uncertain, but a Light Screen went up to block the attack and her Steel Wing went straight through it. Another vicious snarl filled the air as a flurry of leaves came loose from the Florges' flowery yellow mane and Arashi too spit a Water Pulse, but at the same time, less-than-enthusiastic words shortly came from their Coalition comrades.

"Mr. Mime incoming," Adnea sighed, rolling her eyes in displeasure.

"For fuck's sake," Rush remarked, shaking his head.

Rozen too sighed, looking especially unhappy when his shields started to fade by no doing of his own. Astrid looked over to one corridor, not minding the Florges' Magical Leaf too much, but it was easy to see why the others were disgruntled when she saw a Mr. Mime making a wiping motion with its hands that dismantled all the protective screens about them. 'Angrily' and 'tap-dancing' were two words that the Dartrix never would've put in the same phrase, but indeed, the Mr. Mime appeared to be doing exactly that, glaring while tapping at the ground that froze beneath its feet. Some icy breath formed in its mouth, but before it could breathe an Icy Wind at anyone in particular, Arashi rammed it over with a Quick Attack and made the attack freeze part of the ceiling instead.

The Florges, however, was still throwing a fit at having outside company and fired off another Moonblast at the entourage, to which they all scattered out of the way with no shields to duck behind. Rush balled up a fist and spit more poison onto it, eyes narrowing at the fairy, while Arashi jumped back from the Mr. Mime so as not to be in the way of Raijin's Signal Beam… which was blocked when the mime Protected itself.

"Li'l bastard," the Scrafty snickered, shooting the icy dancer a dirty look while being coated in the white aura of a Helping Hand.

Nonetheless, Adnea was quick to stare the Mr. Mime in the eyes next, and when its own shield dropped, it wasn't raising a ruckus afterwards. It wasn't long before another Signal Beam put it out cold. The Florges wasn't causing trouble long after too, for even if it sent another Magical Leaf at Rush, it fell over limp quickly when the Scrafty Poison Jabbed it.

"So they have Ice-type moves and they can wipe screens…" Astrid's voice trailed off.

"Which makes 'em annoying as hell for _you_, Li'l-li'l Green," Rush said with a smirk.

She wasn't going to deny such.

"To be fair, I'm not fond of them either," Rozen gently noted. "Those shields don't create themselves, so to have them nullified so quickly is a bit of a pain, especially when doubly super effective moves are at play."

"Pfffft," Rush playfully scoffed. "I can take a Moonblast if I had to!"

"Yes, _a_ singular Moonblast, and barely, only if you _had_ to," the Audino noted with a sly smile.

Rush rolled his eyes, giving the Audino a jesting shove.

**Starry Peak 7F**

"'Eeeeeeey! Lookie here!" Rush called, getting a grin.

The rest of the entourage perked up, while the Scrafty darted over to a glowing crystalline shard jutting out of the ground.

"What is it?" Arashi inquired, getting excited at whatever the Coalition lead had noticed.

Rush slammed a fist into the crystal and shattered it with ease, the glow ceasing… at least, for most of the shard, since all of the light seemed to concentrate in one place. Multiple smaller shards broke off and went clattering to the floor, but a Shiny Stone mixed among them was fairly blatant.

"Something we're hanging onto," Rush answered the Frogadier, casually chucking the stone at Rozen, who haplessly caught it and stowed it away. "You see stones like that, you take 'em and either sell 'em to Kecleon or trade 'em off with another team! That way, the 'Mon that need 'em to evolve don't have to go dungeon-crawling to get 'em!"

"Yunael and Chira can lend a few to their little cousins when they feel like evolving," Rozen noted.

Astrid couldn't help envisioning a nest of Togetics and a swarm of Minccinos fussing over Shiny Stones.

"There's a very jumpy Gourgeist heading this way," Adnea noted. "We should go west if we want to avoid it."

"I'd head straight _for_ it if we weren't here for Ama's team," Rush remarked, nonetheless motioning them down another corridor.

"You really _do_ like battling, don't you?" Raijin noted, studying the Scrafty a bit.

"_Love_ it!" was the enthusiastic answer. "Life ain't any fun without a brawl every now and then! As long as there's crazy shit happening in this world, this crazy 'Mon is ready to raise some hell!"

Arashi giggled, and Astrid fluffed up a bit. The Dartrix wasn't too sure about needing brawls to make life fun, but she was certainly glad that Rush was on _their_ side and not out to cause them trouble, for even if they were all on the same team, she couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. Her partner shot her a glance along with a mischievous wink, and it didn't take much thinking to deduce that he was still plotting some way to get the tipsy history of his idols' team. She simply brushed it off, making no gesture one way or another.

There were a few scratches in the reflective corridor wall as if one of the wild ones had attacked their own reflection, and given the circumstances, that was as likely a case as any.

"Shiny Stones and glowing crystals," Arashi said, giving their rainbow-streaked reflection a quick glance. "If this was just a cave and not a longer dungeon, I'd just hang out here! This is cool!"

"You sure you wouldn't just hang out here anyway?" Astrid softly said to the contrary, giving the Frogadier a playfully pointed look.

He gave her an amused glance. "Well, I mean, _maybe_, but it's not like I can talk with the wild ones! There's Lazuli and Team Wily back in town that are a lot better for that, aha!"

"I thought you liked Sunken Cavern," Raijin nonchalantly noted.

"Well, yeah, but the dungeon-dwellers would've eaten me as a snack!"

Even if they would, Astrid couldn't help but think that her partner hadn't seemed terribly dissuaded even when a Lileep had tried to do just that.

Still, the room they wound up in was empty save for more crystalline shards and little rainbows refracted across the floor, though there were some more marks that appeared to be from a battle of some sort that none of them had been present for.

"It's following," Adnea flatly piped up again. "It'll probably catch up shortly, but a Flaaffy just glimpsed the stairs and they're to the south of us currently."

"Thanks, Adnea," Rush replied.

Sure enough, they'd barely made it halfway across the room's floor before a cacophony of angry screeching and the flailing of arms met them, the source thereof being a furious-looking Gourgeist. It was cloaked in a white glow and appeared to be… flickering, of all things. It was a rather odd sight.

"_Explosion!_" Adnea cried.

"Oh, holy shit, here we go!" Rush exclaimed.

Instinctively, they all huddled closer together while Rozen walled them off in shields, the ghostly gourd charging straight up before detonating.

_KA-BOOM!_

"_Kyah!_" Arashi cried.

"_A-ah…!_" Astrid whimpered, trying to block out the sound with her wings.

"Jeez!" Raijin protested.

There was a crater left in the ground with a limp and pained-looking Gourgeist at the bottom, clearly spent of its energy, and the walls and ceiling were dented rather heavily. Everyone there was quite glad for Rozen's Reflect, for surely the Explosion would've seriously damaged them all had it made contact.

"That thing just blew itself up!" Arashi exclaimed, still a bit surprised. "Do they even care about taking damage?!"

"They're probably way more concerned with giving damage than taking it, seeing as they're poisoned," Raijin noted, tapping his fingers and studying the slumped Gourgeist. "Th-that's gotta be one unpleasant way to faint…"

"Hell, y'all oughtta see one in the same damn room as a Screen Cleaning Mr. Mime," Rush brushed it off. "That's why we got Warp Wands- make 'em blow up elsewhere."

That seemed as good a strategy as any for dealing with point-blank Explosions, Astrid figured. Thankfully, the one other dungeon-dweller they met (a Mr. Mime) wasn't nearly as destructive, even if it _was_ somewhat annoying with its Protects and Icy Winds.

**Starry Peak 9F**

Another Shiny Stone and a golden coin could be found lying on the ground, and a fainted Flaaffy was slumped against one wall with some deep and bloodied scratches in its belly probably courtesy of an erratic Skarmory. Any damage given out by the wild ones was practically nullified by Rozen, thankfully letting them all save their items for dealing with Team Sweetheart. Still, there was absolutely no denying that the snarling and aggression was absolutely above what was normal for a dungeon-dweller.

"Adnea, we clear?" Rush inquired as they ventured through one room.

"By and large for now," the Orbeetle answered.

"Great! Break time, y'all?"

They were all in agreement. Rozen slipped the bag off to fish out a few apples and chestnuts while Rush gave the ground a thrashing punch for Raijin to recharge.

"Can ya get a view on the outside?" the Scrafty asked, shooting Adnea a glance while he bit a chunk out of an apple. "We ain't got more company coming, do we?"

"None that I see," the researcher replied, a chestnut glowing purplish and seeming to peel itself. "There are some rather strong presences in the general vicinity- Bramble Peak, the cliffs near the end of Withered Ridge, and close to Vanishing Swamp." She started to concentrate a bit more. "Particularly, let's see… _Oh_."

Her remark made them all perk up.

"What's wrong?" Arashi asked, eyeing her intently.

Rush smirked. "Someone getting their asses kicked?"

The Orbeetle crossed her arms, looking pensive and staring at nothing in particular. "I wouldn't quite call it that, but there's _quite_ a scuffle going on at Bramble Peak. I'll tell you and show the rest of you later; this is neither the time nor place to be concerned with it."

The Starstorm trio was curious but accepted it nonetheless.

Rush too nodded, not too bothered, and looked at the Xurkitree planted into the crater next. "Is that still working for you?"

"It is," Raijin replied. "It's not as perfect as the soil in the basement, but it works."

"Good. Say something if it doesn't- you're the only one on this team that recharges and I don't wanna screw you over by not knowing what you need."

Raijin twitched a little, gently but haplessly saying, "A-ah, d-don't worry… You're really nice…"

The Scrafty rolled his eyes, snickering in amusement. "That's not called 'being nice;' it's called 'not being a shitty team lead.'"

However, the Orbeetle let out a sigh, casting her gaze down one corridor. "… Run the other way if you have any sense, you pretty little thing," she said to no one in particular- or at least, no one they could see.

Shortly, a mess of shrieking and snarling could be heard coming from further away, followed by a pinkish burst of light down the corridor that could easily be deduced as a Moonblast. A green and yellow burst came shortly thereafter, accompanied by another loud booming sound almost akin to the Explosion from earlier. That certainly piqued everyone's interest, Rush getting a smirk and Astrid carefully studying the source to see if it would come closer.

"A Florges and a Gourgeist came into that room at the same time, and now that pretty fairy is probably about to meet its maker," Adnea noted matter-of-factly. "… What an unpleasant way to end a fight."

… Indeed it was, they had to concur. Nonetheless, they finished their snacks and were shortly on their way again, heading a different way than one that would intercept the fussing Gourgeist. The room they entered was empty save for the crystals and corridors, but shortly the researcher stopped them all again.

"We should stay put for a second if we don't want to intercept a Flaaffy in a hallway," Adnea advised.

They heeded her advice, not moving anywhere while the sound of little footsteps hurriedly pattering down one corridor graced their senses. Moments later, a Flaaffy made its entrance, already wearing an upset look even before laying eyes on them. However, it didn't start to attack straight away, and Adnea's eyes began glowing to Hypnotize it, but at the same time, its eyes and the orb on its tail started to glow too in different flashing colors when it met Adnea's gaze.

"Nnnnnope!" Rush exclaimed, his hands darting to cover his eyes.

The rest followed suit, holding up their arms to cover their faces and block out the Confuse Ray, but while the Flaaffy definitely seemed to be calmer from the Hypnosis, Adnea was likewise disoriented from the wild one's attack.

"Oh my, have I been confused?" the researcher aimlessly inquired. "It appears the ceiling and floor have switched places, and I don't recall being upside down either…"

"You are, Adnea," Rozen gently noted.

"Rozen? Is that you, Rozen? Why is your fur purple? You're not a Shiny."

Unless the Audino had been dying his fur pink for ages, it was apparent to everyone but Adnea that he was indeed _not_ a Shiny variant. Nonetheless, the Orbeetle wouldn't be of any help to them in her state, and when the Flaaffy started sparking, Rozen shielded them all behind a Light Screen when an Electro Ball went flying at them.

"I'll hold 'er, and you get the seed," Rush said, sharing a glance with the Audino and then glancing to the Starstorm trio. "Y'all three have this one."

The Starstorm trio nodded, and as they did, the Flaaffy went to sparking again. Astrid sent a Razor Leaf with a flap of her wings, even if it wasn't very effective, not quite wanting to go making contact with the wild one given its blatant Static. A Thunder Wave, accompanied by a fussing shriek, followed shortly thereafter, and Raijin swooped an arm in front of her to nullify it while Arashi (carefully) ducked out of the Light Screen to spit an Ice Beam.

"Yo, Adnea," Rush said, reaching to grab the floating Orbeetle.

Adnea didn't respond, simply narrowing her eyes and shaking her head at something none of them could make out. Rozen reached into their bag and retrieved one of the Heal Seeds, but the moment the Scrafty's grip tightened around Adnea, she let out a cry of dismay and became cloaked in a psychic glow.

"Gyah! Unhand me, you wretch!" Adnea hollered, shaking about wildly in protestation.

The Psychic she let off likely would've been very unpleasant for anyone else… but Rush certainly didn't care on account of being immune to it.

The Flaaffy, however, went to shrieking again at the ice crystals coating its fur and the ground underneath it, trying to crouch down to charge in a Take Down but finding running difficult. Instead, the sparks on its form grew bigger, and the three dealing with it were again huddling behind Rozen's shield as bolts were Discharged through the room.

"Okay, I know that thing's still got another form, but you call _that_ a Discharge?" Raijin remarked, shaking his head.

"Why don't you show it how it's done?" Astrid said with a slight grin, sending another leaf barrage.

"You know what, I will," the Xurkitree had no protestations.

Adnea, however, started to get glowing eyes again to which Rozen quickly covered his eyes with one arm while shoving the seed into her mouth. Thankfully, the Audino wasn't brought under the effects of a Hypnosis, and moments after, the researcher ceased her more aggressive antics.

"… Ah. Confusion. How troublesome," Adnea remarked, still flat as ever.

_Crrrrrrack!_

The Flaaffy likely wished that it too had a shield to hide behind when Raijin's bolts filled the room, for not very effective or not, the Flaaffy's fur stood on end and it let out a cry of protestation before going limp. Astrid and Arashi were huddled behind the Light Screen too, the latter still looking startled at the excess of electricity flying around between their comrade and the fainted wild one.

"_That_ is how you do it," Raijin remarked in a gently playful voice, shaking a finger at the Flaaffy.

Rush laughed, turning his attention to the other three. "You tell 'em, pal!"

They were off again shortly thereafter, Adnea informing them that a wild Florges had glimpsed the stairs.

**Starry Peak 12F**

As soon as its Protect faded, a Mr. Mime fell over unconscious after taking a Steel Wing to the back of its head, the Dartrix delivering the blow eyeing it very carefully while the Coalition lead snickered at it.

"Nice one, Li'l-li'l Green," Rush snickered, holding his fist up that Astrid gingerly bumped with the tip of one wing. "These damn things and their Protects just piss me off when I can't go smashing my fists into 'em, ehehe!"

Rozen chuckled. "And I'm sure it upsets them when you attack them too, friend."

"Pffffft," the Scrafty brushed him off.

If it meant not taking an Icy Wind, Astrid didn't much care _who_ attacked the Mr. Mime so long as it was taken care of in one way or another. Still, they were all following Rush into another hallway shortly thereafter, a few dents in the reflective surfaces on the inside that they all assumed were from a fussing dungeon-dweller. Moments later, though, a loud _BOOM_ could be heard from several rooms adjacent that carried enough force to shake a few smaller crystalline shards loose from the ceiling.

"… Two down, two left," Adnea indifferently informed.

"Was that a Gourgeist?" Arashi asked, looking inquisitive.

"A medium-sized one telling a Flaaffy that it did not want company, to be precise."

Literally exploding was about as good of way to tell someone to leave as any, Astrid figured… the only downside being that the one exploding would not be conscious to enjoy their solitude after the fact.

"Those giant ones are a real mess to deal with if they go blowing up," Rush remarked.

"Do they get stronger as they get bigger…?" Raijin asked. "It seems that way from what you all have been saying."

"Depends on what ya call 'strong,'" the Scrafty answered. "If they grab you, you're probably fucked, but they're slow as hell and can't run for shit."

"So if they grab you, you're probably getting dragged off to the afterlife and there's nothing you can do about it?" Arashi piped up inquisitively.

"You wanna find out, Li'l Blue~?!" Rush jested, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"_No!_" the Frogadier was quick to answer back, still smiling but looking hesitant. "Not if it means _actually_ getting dragged off to the afterlife, no! _Heck_ no!"

The Scrafty cackled, and Rozen shook his head.

Still, something evidently caught Rush's eyes in the next room, for he went darting over to one corner to pick something up- a very battered-looking bag with a large scratch through the front of it. While signs of a scuffle were absent, the little red splotches on the front flap and the strap made it easy to guess what had transpired. He shook it a bit, and some small prism-casting crystals went clattering to the floor along with a few golden coins.

"… Hah, those poor little bitches," Rush chuckled to no one in particular. "Yes, it's pretty, but no, you can't just waltz in here unprepared and expect to haul some pretty little gems home, ehehe!"

Arashi, though, grinned and asked, "_Can_ we take a few home…?"

Rush shrugged. "If you wanna, Li'l Blue, go right ahead! I ain't gonna stop ya!"

They stowed away the bag's contents in their own bags and went back to venturing.

Meanwhile, however…

**Starry Peak Summit**

"Oh, this is wonderful~! Just wonderful~!" Ama chirped, patting her egg and happily skittering in circles. "I've never felt so happy~!"

Chira chuckled, wrapping one of her scarves around the very serene-looking Millicent next to her. "I've never felt so full of love."

"Why were we even fighting those wonderful creatures?" Jingle concurred, grinning. "Why, Seven Thousand's enlightenment is glorious! I just have to give this Void a hug if I see her!"

The Alcremie didn't say a word and only made a heart-shape with her hands.

Ama threw her arms out to the side, making one last little spin before skittering closer to her comrades again and hugging each of them in turn (at least, as best as she could without squishing her egg). "We already know that darling Rush's team is out here, and they've got those little Starstorm lovelies with them as well.~ We're sure to meet them if we stay up here a bit longer, and maybe we can share our enlightenment with them as well! They'd be _wonderful_ comrades to have in our newfound purpose!"

Three emphatic nods answered the Blissey, each of her comrades grinning eagerly.

"Well, what do we say, comrades~?" Ama cooed again, clapping with glee. "May love and enlightenment fill the world…~?"

"May love and Void fill the world?" Chira suggested.

"May Void's enlightenment fill the world?" Jingle likewise proposed.

Silently, Millicent made a few hand gestures. (_*May the love of Void's enlightenment fill the world?*_)

Ama clapped again, squealing in delight at the Alcremie's gestures. "Yes, Millicent! That's it! That's _exactly_ it! _May the love of Void's enlightenment fill the world~!_"

"_May the love of Void's enlightenment fill the world~!"_ echoed off of the mountain's summit.


	36. Chapter 36: Summit Commotion

**Starry Peak 13F**

"_Incoming Explosion!_" Adnea cried.

Rozen's Reflect went up right in time as a screeching mid-sized Gourgeist came sprinting down the hallway next to them, the resounding _BOOM_ echoing throughout the floor and whatever wall was next to it getting blown to smithereens.

"Daaaamn!" Rush exclaimed with excitement, not fazed at all.

Just as before, a big crater was left in the floor with the fainted dungeon-dweller limp at the bottom of it. Whether it had hit them or not, the Starstorm trio all had rather frazzled senses, Astrid's feathers puffing out while Arashi grinned awkwardly and Raijin gave a twitch of surprise.

Rush shook his head, not too bothered and keeping their venture going. "And there's Beasts on Ultra Space that can pull off more than one of those, yeah?" he said with a snicker, shooting their own Beast comrade a glance.

"Blacephalon? Yes," Raijin replied. "Mind Blown _looks_ pretty, but… it'll definitely _blow your mind_."

The Scrafty let out a hearty cackle, crossing his arms. "Ehehe! Sounds like fun!"

Perhaps it _was_ fun, Astrid figured… for everyone but the target.

At the same time, she couldn't help wondering about Team Sweetheart waiting for them up at the top. The Coalition members were definitely making quick and easy work of the wild ones, and she had to agree with Arashi that the synergy _was_ incredibly impressive, so surely they'd pull through when faced with Ama's team… Between Adnea and Rozen on guard, they'd barely taken a single hit, and Rush's strength spoke for itself. Of course, with such a reputation as the Coalition had, it was to be expected, but her partner's fanboyish tendencies started to become a bit more understandable. Team Starstorm definitely had no issues fitting together and covering each other where they could, but Astrid hoped that their own group could reach the level of cohesion that the other half of their group was showing too. Surely, they were well on their way, at least.

"As much as I wanna put my fist through her non-existent face, that Nihilego did a bang-up job," Rush flippantly remarked. "This place is _way_ more exciting than it's ever been."

Astrid had to wonder what part of Exploding Gourgeists, Discharging Flaaffies, and annoying Mr. Mimes couldn't already be considered 'exciting.' She certainly wouldn't have called it 'boring' or 'peaceful.'

Nonetheless, Arashi piped up with the same sentiment. "You wouldn't call this place exciting already?! I mean, the wild ones seem like they'd kick up a fuss regardless!"

"Hah!" the Scrafty scoffed. "This ain't even close to being a hard dungeon in my mind! I mean yeah, there's Exploding Gourgeists and the flocks of Florges piss me off, but this ain't nothin'!"

"Really?" Arashi asked, starry-eyed. "What _is_ a hard dungeon, then?"

Rush and Rozen shared a glance, both grinning and chuckling.

"Forsaken Crater?" asked the Audino.

"Forsaken Crater," Rush snickered, then to the Starstorm trio, "It's cold as hell, it's pitch-black, the weather _sucks_, there's earthquakes just about every other minute that can block off paths or bury you in rocks, and every 'Mon there has a Mega form that you _will_ run into. It's 'forsaken' for a reason 'cause no one wants to _go_ there, ehehe!"

"It's only ten floors, but those ten floors are a _gauntlet_," Rozen concurred. "Most teams don't get past the first or second."

"But we've made it through all ten," the Scrafty quickly noted, grinning. "The feeling that you might get fucked up at any moment is _great_, ehehe!"

It sounded… unpleasant, to say the least, and Astrid fluffed up a bit at the thought of wandering through underground darkness in the midst of earthquakes and Mega forms. However, if their company had conquered such a place, then that felt reassuring with having them around, at least. The Frogadier certainly had starry eyes.

"You guys are the _best…!_" Arashi breathed, as entranced as could be.

"Don't you forget it, Li'l Blue!" Rush laughed, shooting him a smirk.

**Starry Peak 17F**

The Gourgeists started to look bigger, and indeed, what had been said about them earlier was true- their size increased the further up the mountain they trekked. Not all of them caused Explosions on sight, but the ones that did certainly stirred up a ruckus and reshaped their immediate vicinity from the blast. Still, something _else_ started to become more numerous, something with claws and sword-like feathers…

"Incoming," Adnea informed them again.

"_SkreeeeEEEEEEE!_"

The same avian screeching they'd heard outside quickly came echoing down a corridor in front of them, the metallic feathers of a Skarmory glinting a bit in the refracted light as it dashed for them. Rush went balling his fists up while Arashi spit an Ice Beam at it, the metallic feathers quickly getting an icy sheen too as the cold crystals clung to it. More screeching followed, but the Skarmory seemed more wrathful at being attacked in the first place than pained at any damage it had taken.

"So you decided we were a better target than the Mr. Mime you were originally following," Adnea flatly noted, crossing her arms and staring sharply at the dungeon-dweller.

"What a dumbass idea," Rush laughed.

Raijin Discharged a bolt at the steely avian, but it took to the air and instead the corridor it had run out of was full of refracted rainbows as the electricity flew down the crystal-coated hallway instead. Still, a few fast flaps of the Skarmory's wings shook some downy, but very sharp and pointed all the same, feathers loose and attempted to throw the Spikes around the ground under the expeditioners. An Ominous Wind from Astrid was enough to blow them back while also striking their foe, the pointed metallic shards not getting too close to them.

"Nice one there, Li'l-li'l Green," Rush remarked, smirking. "Screens can't block out terrain hazards."

Astrid only gave a small intonation of acknowledgement, not thinking much of it.

Their company, however, quickly took a dive down at them, specifically aiming for the Audino, with its talons slashing away and screech after screech escaping its beak. A Reflect shield went up, and the avian Metal Clawed away at it with the utmost ferocity that probably would've ripped some deep gashes into Rozen's furry front had it made contact.

"Oh, heavens," Rozen mused, a bit surprised but not too fazed. "I can't even threaten you, dear…"

"Don't you go after my best pal, asshat! You go after _me!_" Rush exclaimed rather pointedly, his eyes narrowing.

"That thing has no idea what you're saying and only seeks the most convenient target," Adnea said flatly.

That much was probably true, but Rush still looked utterly peeved at it as he ducked out from behind the shield and drew his fist back. The Skarmory turned its attention on him next, but before it could do much, there was a loud _THUD_ as Rush's Brick Break collided with the avian's armored form. It went down with a muffled snarl, the unpleasant feeling of its metal form getting dented by the Scrafty's fist cutting off whatever vocalization it wanted to make. Yet again, Astrid almost felt sorry for it… _almost_.

Rush, though, looked to Adnea again. "Adnea, we clear?"

"For now, yes," the researcher replied.

"Good! Break time, y'all?"

There were no protests.

**Starry Peak 20F**

The Skarmories started to replace the crowd of Florges, and one of them even had red-tipped wings from a certain viscous liquid best left on the inside of one's body… but fortunately, it was not from any of the expeditioners.

"_Skreeeeeee!_" it hissed, clattering onto the ground as Arashi froze the joint of one of its wings with an Ice Beam.

Adnea's eyes took on their glow shortly thereafter and the wild one couldn't resist her piercing gaze, calming down to more normal levels of fussiness in seconds before its eyes shut and it drifted off to sleep. Perhaps it was in a _terrible_ roosting position with its wings haphazardly splayed out to the side and one leg haplessly stuck out, but one way or another, it was taken care of.

"It must be a nuisance for the other wild ones when those things grow new feathers," Arashi giggled. "Just be out walking around and _bam!_ A sword drops out of the sky!"

"Pfffft, if I was just walking around and some random 'Mon dropped a big-ass sword-feather, I'd call that a good time," Rush said, smirking.

"You call almost _everything_ a good time," Adnea remarked, still as unfazed as ever.

"Oh, fuck off," the Scrafty said to the contrary, shooting her a playful side-eye. "I got fists for causing KOs, but you can move shit with your mind. You could literally just impale someone with it by thinking!"

"That is a horribly inefficient use of my abilities if any such situation necessitated me coming to blows," the Orbeetle wasn't all that convinced. "Besides, I should say- we have a Mr. Mime and a Gourgeist coming this way."

Rush still smirked but rolled his eyes at the mention of their incoming foes, and Rozen too let out a bit of sigh at knowing there was a chance his screens could get nullified. Nonetheless, towards the next room they trekked, a few little red trickles on the ground that they assumed must have come from whatever unfortunate wild one that had found itself on the other side of the Skarmory's claws.

"They've noticed us," Adnea piped up again.

Indeed, from further down another corridor, the familiar screeching of an angry Gourgeist could be heard, albeit a bit faintly.

"… Well, ain't that fantastic," Rush mused sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Nonetheless, a Mr. Mime entered the room at about the same time the rest of them did, and the fussing of the Gourgeist was growing louder as plodding footsteps started to grace their senses too. The icy one didn't waste time in becoming cloaked in a rainbow light, and very quickly, Rozen was throwing up a Light Screen to keep the Dazzling Gleam from doing any damage, especially not to their Scrafty lead. However, their major concerns were quickly realized when the dancing wild one made a wiping motion, Screen Cleaning their shield away.

"Alright, we ain't putting up with this shit," Rush remarked flatly, making a dash at their foe.

However, the Mr. Mime Protected itself and instead its own shield met with Rush's Throat Chop, all while the wild one danced away in place and glared at them all.

"_Come on,_" Astrid lamented, unamused while her own eyes narrowed at their foe.

Adnea floated closer to the Mr. Mime's shield, her eyes glowing in hypnotic power again, but at the same time, the others quickly became aware that they would have other company soon, for the figure of a large Gourgeist dashed down the hallway at them (at least, as fast as one of its size _could_ dash), starting to become cloaked in a bright light. They all knew what that entailed- that some _explosive_ damage was soon to follow. Astrid skittered backwards a bit and hardened one wing as if holding a Steel Wing up might shield her as well, and Arashi too stuck close to her while uncertainly aiming an Ice Beam. Raijin followed suit and charged up a Signal Beam, albeit backing away from their wild company too.

"_For fuck's sake!_" Rush hissed, turning to the ghostly gourd next. "Rozen! Warp that thing!"

The Audino wasn't wasting time, either. As quick as he could, Rozen fished out a Warp Wand and waved it at the Gourgeist, who screeched in wrath before becoming completely enveloped in energy.

_BOOM!_

Whatever Explosion happened, it was elsewhere, but the Starstorm trio was still startled by the shaking of the floor it caused and the sheer loudness.

"_That's_ an awful combination…!" Astrid squeaked, eyeing the place the Gourgeist had been seconds prior and the dungeon-dweller that Adnea practically stared holes through.

"That's why we carry those wands, Li'l-li'l Green," Rush noted, likewise giving the place the exploding dungeon-dweller had been a side-eye. "Don't nobody wanna get cornered by an attack like _that_."

She certainly agreed.

The Mr. Mime was soon sound asleep on the other side of the room, and the expeditioners relaxed a bit… At least, for a moment, before Rush spotted something behind a crystalline shard and darted over to it.

"Hah, looks like someone dropped somethin' else," Rush snickered. However, he shortly got a funny look when he retrieved the item in question, eyeing it in a mix of confusion and amusement. "… The hell?" he said incredulously, inspecting the object he'd picked up.

It was certainly something they hadn't seen before, yet… somehow, Astrid thought it looked familiar. A bluish liquid was contained in something of a rectangular clear cartridge, the grey lid snapped into place over it containing a small nozzle on the front and what looked like a flat lever on the back. It was definitely out of place, likely dropped by another expeditioner trying to run from a wild one and forgetting to close their bag as a result. She studied it, trying to figure out where she could've possibly seen such a thing before, while Rush and his comrades looked fairly confused.

"The fuck is in here?" the Scrafty said with a chuckle, turning it around to get a good look. "Heh, may as well find out!"

Rush went to pry the top off, but before he could get very far, Raijin piped up and reached out to stop him, exclaiming, "No! Don't!"

Just as quick, Rush paused, studying the Xurkitree next. "What's up? You know what this is?"

"That's a max potion," Raijin explained, calming down but still seeming a bit hesitant with the Scrafty's hands around its top. "W-we should keep that. Just… don't press that button on the back of it."

Rush took his hand off of the cap, still looking inquisitive. "Why? What's it do?"

"It'll spray it out," was the answer, Raijin easing up a bit without the Scrafty touching the top. "L-look, u-um… Can I see that…?"

Rush shrugged, handing it over. The Xurkitree was studying it next, as if he couldn't quite believe the object he held was real.

"Okay, explain," the Coalition lead snickered, crossing his arms and smirking. "The hell is a max potion?"

"It's a type of medicine," Raijin replied, still looking it over. "You use it by pointing the opening at yourself and pressing the button, then it'll spray out and you'll feel its effects. I haven't seen a single one of _these_ since I came here, which I guess is par since they're a human invention and you don't have humans here, but you see potions all the time on Ultra Space. They'll restore your health depending on the potency, and this one here is the strongest type that'll completely heal you back to normal… Squad Fourteen-Five must have dropped this when they came through."

That certainly caught their attention, Adnea even getting a surprised look as opposed to her perpetual flatness. It started to sound familiar to Astrid, but where her mind was gathering the scattered recollection from, she had no idea.

"So it's an artifact from your homeworld!" Arashi exclaimed. "And they're a human invention?! Sheesh, the Ultra Space humans must be cool!"

"Sounds like they're like Oran berries but they're not Oran berries," Rush remarked, looking it over.

"And Raijin can't use berries!" Arashi added, perking up. "We _should_ keep that! That is _such_ a lucky find!"

"That _is_ a damn lucky find," the Scrafty concurred, still looking the potion over. "Yeah, y'all three hang onto that. Might save your ass next time you ain't got Rozen."

Shortly, Raijin had it safely stowed away in their bag, but Arashi still seemed fascinated by the entire principle of it even if it was out of sight. Astrid tried to think of just why it seemed familiar… but as with much everything else regarding her sealed memories, she had no idea. Regardless, she was happy that their Beast comrade had a surefire way of healing if they ever needed it… and at some point or another, they probably _would_ need it.

**Starry Peak 24F**

A Florges kicked up a fuss and a Flaaffy was intent on giving them all a shock, but they too were dealt with swiftly. Their stash of items hadn't taken _too_ huge of a hit… which was at least somewhat reassuring, seeing as there were still plenty of Oran berries to go around if Heal Pulses stopped being an option (or the Audino himself was targeted) and Blast Seeds could certainly be helpful. The Escape Orb was there, but… hopefully they wouldn't need it.

"Okay, so let's talk this setup over," Rush said, crossing his arms and pausing at the base of the stairs. "We've made it through this dungeon fine, but this fight ain't gonna be easy. Team Starstorm, y'all pay attention so you know what to expect from them."

The rest of them were listening, the Starstorm trio much more intently so. Indeed, they _weren't_ sure what to expect, but if the Coalition lead was going to tell them, they definitely wanted to know.

"Our biggest threats here are obviously Ama herself, and Millicent comes after even if that Alcremie ain't got a single damaging move in her arsenal," the Scrafty explained. "Ama's running with Soft-Boiled, Refresh, Ice Beam, and Counter, so she's probably gonna get in our way and drag things out. If Yunael were here, Millicent would be boosting her attacks with Decorate first, but she ain't, so Millicent's gonna go for Chira and Jingle instead. On top of that, she's got Aromatherapy to heal whatever status conditions might happen to her team, which, for us, knocks out our wands and orbs, but that's alright, since we only brought those to be extra safe in case we got some _real_ unpleasant company. That also means we can't count on getting sleep, poison, freezing, or paralysis from our moves either. If her Sweet Scent starts wafting around, ignore it as best you can, because it's only there to fuck with your senses. If she starts batting her eyes and looking cutesy, run like hell, because it's a Sweet Kiss that'll confuse the shit out of you."

Astrid and her comrades carefully took it in.

"After those two, we got the attackers," Rush continued. "Chira moves pretty fast and hits pretty hard with those fluffy scarves, but if she can't get close enough for Iron Tail, Tail Slap, or Play Rough, she'll sic a Swift after you. Jingle's got Dragon Breath, Hyper Voice, Extrasensory, and Flamethrower, so even if you ain't close to him, watch yourselves, because he can pretty much hit whoever he damn well pleases whenever he wants to."

Rozen too chimed in. "I should probably mention to be a bit cautious in case a shield breaks. Defending is my forte, but with enough damage, they _can_ be broken through. That hasn't been a problem thus far, but all bets are off now."

They nodded.

"So let's talk _our_ strategy here," Rush said, giving each of them present a glance. "Rozen, you obviously know what to do, 'cause we've been doing it for years now, but if anything happens to you or you get KO'd and we ain't got your Heal Pulses, we got Oran berries."

The Audino smiled a bit, giving the Scrafty a quick playful nudge.

Rush turned to the Orbeetle next. "Adnea, go straight for Hypnotizing Millicent the _instant_ you see her. Keep her from doing her thing as best you can, and if you can get her to support _us_ instead, _do_ it. Those boosts she give her teammates ain't no joke. She's the first priority, then Ama, but if something happens and you need to go for Chira or Jingle instead, do whatever the hell you see fit." He turned to Team Starstorm next. "Now, _you_ three. Raijin, you've got Dazzling Gleam, so that makes Jingle an easy target as long as Ama stays out of your way. Li'l Blue, you're pretty fast too, and Li'l-li'l Green, you can fly, so I want y'all to get after Chira, and Li'l-li'l Green, feel free to whop Millicent with a Steel Wing if she's being problematic. We all clear?"

More nods.

"Good," declared the Scrafty. "Constant vigilance."

He motioned them along, and up the stairs they went.

**Starry Peak Summit**

It was almost the same as they'd seen in Yunael's memories- the cave with its star-shaped exit through which sun filtered in, but there was no Beast brigade there to meet them. There wasn't _anyone_ there to meet them, but the cheerful voices from the flowered field on the other side of the cave's walls made it fairly clear where their targets were.

"… Oh my, it's even worse than I'd initially appraised," Adnea noted, keeping her voice low. "They've completely changed their 'love and joy' catchphrase to be about Void's enlightenment."

"You're kidding," Rozen whispered, looking stunned.

"I'm not," the Orbeetle replied.

"Of all the squads they could've run into, it just _had_ to be one with a Nihilego…" Raijin's voice dismally trailed off.

"Now I see just how problematic that species is," Adnea acknowledged. "Never mind not seeming like themselves; it's like they've completely forgotten who they are."

"Well, we're gonna remind 'em," Rush declared, balling up one fist and pounding it into his other hand. "Even if we gotta beat the everloving shit out of 'em and drag 'em back home kicking and screaming. That bitch Void and those jackasses on Squad Fourteen-Five ain't just gonna brainwash a team like Ama's into believing whatever bullshit 'enlightenment' they're spreading."

Outside the cave, though, Team Sweetheart, didn't seem to have too many concerns as they happily chattered away to each other. On the cliffs below, some of the wild ones might have gotten into scuffles with each other, but that didn't seem to bother the poisoned expeditioners too much, for the reflective stones around them were only reflecting their grins. By all indications, it was a lovely day, but nonetheless… something was clearly amiss.

"We could get Shar's team, too!" a certain Blissey chirped, clapping her hands in glee. "And Xeno's! Oh, we _need_ Xeno! His abilities are too good to pass up! I can stall out Karma too, no problems!"

"And Team Mirage!" Jingle piped up. "Delphi's abilities would be really useful too!"

"Now, now, she might see us coming," Chira noted, sounding a bit more hesitant but calm and collected nonetheless. "We know we have one Dark-type coming our way, and we all know that a Psychic-type couldn't just read someone like Rush."

Millicent was still silent as ever, but the other three around her had no trouble understanding her hand motions. (_*Between Adnea and Delphi, that's two psychics… Would they know anything about where a human-turned-Pokémon would be hiding?*_)

"You're right; we should ask them!" Ama acknowledged, grinning at the Alcremie. "If she's hiding, it can't be Astrid! That's too bold of a move for someone as shy as that! Besides, there's a lot more members of the Rowlet line scattered around than her!"

However, a few new reflections in the crystalline slabs around them caught their attention, and all at once, Team Sweetheart went whirling around to see the Coalition brigade at the mouth of the dungeon's exit, Adnea's eyes already glowing and Rush with his fists balled up. The faintest sound of a whimper came from Millicent's mouth as her eyes too started to glow, but just as quick, one of Chira's scarves clapped over the Alcremie's face.

"_What's_ this about me and Li'l-li'l Green~?!" Rush pointedly but amusedly inquired, smirking with narrowed eyes. "Ama, the fuck is wrong with you?"

Astrid had ideas on what Ama's words meant, and she wasn't particularly fond of what they entailed.

Nonetheless, the Scrafty wasn't wasting time either, the aura of Rozen's Helping Hand cloaking him as he went rushing up to Ama with a fist drawn back for a Brick Break. Ama, still smiling but with eyes that turned sinister, braced herself and took the hit, her expression contorting with pain for just a moment. The Blissey struck out on her own, and Rush jumped back, for she Countered his hit… straight into a Reflect. The giant crack she put in the shield was indication enough that _no one_ wanted to be on the receiving end of _either_ attack.

Even with her eyes covered, Millicent was snarling and pounding one of her own fists into her other hand, a complete turnaround from the heart-shaped gestures and cute grins they'd seen from her before. Chira and Jingle weren't too far off, the Cinncino's eyes narrowing while her scarves flicked while smoke escaped the dragon's maw.

"Darling, if you'd like to fight me, go ahead," Ama nonchalantly brushed it all off, her egg starting to emit its healing light.

Adnea's Hypnosis turned on the Blissey next with Millicent out of reach, but at almost as fast, another of Chira's scarves clapped over Ama's eyes too. Again Adnea's target switched to the Cinccino, but yet again a scarf shot up to block it out, and before Jingle could be the next in line, the Drampa let loose a Flamethrower that necessitated Rozen shielding them all again. Team Sweetheart became little more than distorted silhouettes behind the flames.

"We've all found a new purpose in life," the Blissey said with a smirk, patting her egg. "Coalition darlings, the ones from the 'crazy' incidents have had it right this entire time, even if most of them didn't know it.~ Call us what you will, but I've never been so full of love.~"

"We can't help but share it!" Jingle enthusiastically concurred, clapping his furry forearms together while wearing a happy glare on his face.

"Our love belongs to Void now," Chira likewise declared, her scarves going back to their ordinary places on her head and neck.

The ground was left with a patch of grass scorched into ashes, but the targets were still unharmed. Astrid certainly wasn't thrilled to see another Flamethrower- Zariel and Salem had definitely spouted enough fire to last a lifetime, but she kept that sentiment to herself.

"Theeeere we go," Raijin said flatly. "That's the same sort of thing that every Beast on Ultra Space says."

Ama, however, giggled. "What do we say, comrades~?!"

Both the Blissey and two of her teammates echoed it, while Millicent only mimed it with her hands. "_MAY THE LOVE OF VOID'S ENLIGHTENMENT FILL THE WORLD~!_"

It was the Blissey's turn to cackle, bracing herself with a maniacal grin that seemed utterly out of place on someone that had formerly been so sweet and cheerful. Millicent set to Decorating their Drampa comrade while Chira became cloaked in a pinkish glow, all three of them getting similar grins of madness. It was… unsettling.

"_Fuck_ Void's enlightenment!" Rush hollered back, balling his fists up again. "Sorry, not sorry for what we're about to do!"

"_Try me,_ darling!" Ama hollered back, not fazed at all.

It was blatant to all of the Coalition members that indeed, Team Sweetheart's sweetness had been completely tossed aside. Whatever they were spouting… it surely wasn't 'love.'

* * *

_**Author's note**: This one is a bit shorter since I started writing the fight scene at the end, then realized this chapter would stretch to around 30 pages if I continued in that same vein... so I decided I would save that for the next chapter since there is _quite_ a lot of scuffling in chapter 37. I finished it last night, though, and it was quite fun to write, so you'll be seeing that in the near future. It's just that time of the semester again where multiple lab reports and exams all begin to happen around the same time, so please be patient with me._


	37. Chapter 37: Love, Joy, and Plenty of BS

The Blissey's eyes all but dared Rush to make another move, a giggle escaping her mouth of the utmost flippancy, while Adnea's eyes narrowed on Millicent again with their hypnotic glow. The Alcremie growled, sticking an arm over her eyes while Decorating the Drampa next to her with cream swirls and releasing a pink, Sweet Scented cloud.

"Oh, you _troublesome_ little fairy," Adnea said flatly.

Had they not been up against a team with two members that could heal every unpleasant status they could possibly inflict, Astrid would've had a mind to bust out the Slumber Wands or Petrify Orb, but between Ama and Millicent, surely, that would only buy them a few seconds of time if anything. Jingle opened his maw and let out an ear-shattering Hyper Voice that Astrid guessed would've roused a corpse back awake had any been around, the absurd soundwaves made even more destructive from Millicent's boost. Rozen put up a Light Screen to shield off the Coalition bunch, but even that was shaking, for clearly, Team Sweetheart had almost as much firepower as they did 'love.'

Nonetheless, while Rozen put up a Reflect the next moment to shield Rush from Chira Playing Rough, Arashi hit the Cinccino with a Quick Attack and Astrid was quickly taking to the skies as Ama shot off an Ice Beam straight at her. Raijin wasn't wasting any time either and became cloaked in a blinding rainbow glow of a Dazzling Gleam aimed at Jingle, but without even flinching, the Blissey giggled and darted straight in front of her dragon comrade to take the hit instead.

"Hah! I can actually _feel_ that, but barely!" Ama laughed, still grinning fervently and completely unfazed. "_Nice try_, darling!"

"Oh, come on," Raijin said in hapless protestation.

Arashi gave the Blissey a surprised glance as he quickly jumped back from Chira. "Sheesh! You guys weren't kidding about her!"

One of the Cinccino's tails took a steely glow and she tried to whack Arashi with her Iron Tail, but before it could make contact, Astrid swooped down and grabbed him up. The air started to take a sickeningly sweet smell to it from Millicent's cloud of aroma that made it a bit harder to concentrate on her movements, but still Astrid managed it fine enough while trying to block out the effects. Nonetheless, Chira turned on them next and set off a Swift, which would've been a dead-on hit if Rozen didn't set up a Light Screen in front of it that the white stars clashed into instead. Rush became cloaked in a white aura again with the Cinccino's attention diverted elsewhere, and he made a move at the Blissey, not even giving a second glance at the Drampa next to her with a sparking cloud of bluish smoke in his mouth.

Ama only giggled, bracing herself again and looking ready to Counter Rush's hit, but even if his Brick Break made her countenance turn pained again and a cry of dismay leave her mouth, the Reflect that Rozen set up was useless when she instead spit an Ice Beam straight through it.

"Ngah-!" Rush grunted in protest, his eyes covered by the cold crystals.

"Ah! Apologies, friend!" Rozen cried.

Jingle breathed a mighty Dragon Breath down at the Scrafty, but a Light Screen nullified its effects just fine too.

Still Rush smirked, shaking his head and freeing himself of the ice clinging to his form. "That's a'ight! Ehehe, you're good, Ama!"

Another Ice Beam sailed through the air at Astrid, and at the same time, another harshly glowing Dazzling Gleam flew at Jingle, but yet again Raijin's efforts were absolutely to no avail when the Blissey dashed to take the hit like a giggling juggernaut while her Soft-Boiled glow healed her up from any damage Rush had given her.

"Yes, darling, _yes~!_" the Blissey cackled, grinning with wild eyes. "Go on and blast away! _You can't do a damn thing with me in the way, AHAHAAAAA~!_"

"What is _wrong _with you?!" Raijin cried haplessly, twitching in frustration. "Er, never mind! I know the answer to that!"

Astrid, though, held her wings in and dropped back on the ground with her partner, letting Ama's attack sail overhead harmlessly. She shot a quick glance to the Alcremie that still had an arm clapped over her head, but that apparently wasn't stopping Millicent from Decorating her dragon comrade with a bunch of pretty designs. That had to be problematic on its own, but at the same time, the Orbeetle too let out a growl of frustration.

"I will not play these games with you!" Adnea declared. "_Rozen!_"

Without another word being exchanged, a Light Screen went up on every side of the Orbeetle except her front, to which her wings started vibrating at ridiculous speeds that shortly whipped up a barrage of destructive sound waves directed only at the foes before her instead of everywhere else. They weren't nearly as strong as Jingle's Hyper Voice, but still, her Bug Buzz was enough to make Millicent peek out in surprise with a tiny dismayed shriek and Jingle let out a smoking snarl. As soon as Millicent's eyes were uncovered, Adnea was peering into them with glowing eyes of her own, and the screens went down.

"_Cease_, Millicent," Adnea sharply commanded.

However, Jingle noticed fairly easily what was occurring and turned another fiery breath on Adnea, an absolutely ferocious blaze with his comrade's boosts. Of course, Rozen shielded the Orbeetle, but she floated backwards in caution when the blaze threatened to overtake the screen too. Even so, Adnea's narrowed eyes were glowing, and on the other side of the blaze, Millicent's were too.

Still, Jingle turned his Flamethrower away from the Orbeetle and onto the rest of them, and Rozen likewise would've shielded them all again, but a certain Cinccino cloaked in a pinkish glow went smashing into him before he could set up a Reflect to shield himself.

"_Augh-!_" the Audino cried, getting slammed by Chira and her scarves.

The rest of the Coalition group went dashing out of the way, but Chira instead ducked behind Rozen while keeping him ensnared in her scarves- an effective, _very_ unwitting shield. A Light Screen went up, but it only lasted a second or two, for clearly, the Drampa's attacking capabilities had been boosted to their maximum.

"_Rozen!_" Rush cried, eyes going wide. "Hot _damn_, Chira!"

"A-ah…!" Astrid too was dismayed.

"_Sheesh!_" Arashi likewise exclaimed.

The Cinccino's furry scarves were singed along with Rozen's fur, but the grass between them and Jingle was absolutely scorched. Chira let go, casting a flustered glance to her less-than-pristine pelt for only a moment before scurrying back and shinnying up to the top of a reflective stone. Rozen let out a heavy breath, clearly pained.

"Rozen, are you okay?!" Arashi quickly inquired.

The Audino let out a heavy breath, reaching into the bag he carried to retrieve an Oran berry. "Don't fret over me," he tiredly brushed it off.

If gazes could kill, the wrath in Rush's probably would've made Chira drop dead right there, but the Cinccino apparently was as content as could be, practically daring anyone else to get close to her as she sent off a flurry of starry discs again. Of course, her attack was blocked before it could connect to anyone, but Chira herself was sent scurrying when Raijin Discharged a flurry of bolts at her instead.

"I'd thrash the hell out of her just for that if Ama wasn't demanding my attention," Rush snarled, nonetheless turning his attention to the grinning Blissey again.

"Tough love is still love~!" Ama giggled.

Another Hyper Voice filled the air, Jingle roaring, "_FEEL OUR LOVE~!_"

Whatever they were feeling, Astrid was pretty sure it was 'crazy destructive tendencies' and not love.

Nonetheless, Millicent's aggression came to a halt under Adnea's Hypnosis, and she cast a troubled glance to her comrades before scurrying away from the Drampa and Blissey and closer to the Orbeetle while making some more gestures with her hands. Adnea gave her a few nods, the Alcremie seeming even more perturbed at whatever unspoken communication was passing between her and the researcher.

"One down, three left," Adnea declared, her piercing gaze directed at Ama next.

"_Yes!_" Rush cheered with a smirk, balling his fists up again.

All of the more lovingly aggressive ones on Team Sweetheart immediately turned their gazes on Adnea, still smiling but with wrath in their eyes. Millicent made a few pleading gestures at them, but had they been words, they would've fallen on deaf ears, for a Flamethrower, Swift, and Ice Beam all sailed straight at the researcher responsible for her turn.

"_Millicent!_" Chira fussed. "You were supposed to Decorate _me_ next!"

Millicent certainly wasn't listening, scurrying closer to Rush while waving her arms in another dismayed motion. _*No, no, absolutely no!*_ she said with all but her words.

Thankfully, neither Adnea or their newly Hypnotized ally were directly hit thanks to Rozen's screens, but the Audino's shields shattered into pieces within a few seconds and Adnea quickly floated upwards as the air below her was doused in fire from Jingle. Astrid and Arashi shared a quick glance before the Dartrix swooped her partner up while sending a sharp leaf barrage at the Blissey, hoping that perhaps it would mess with her for a second long enough to keep her from shielding Jingle. If a smile could have ever given someone unsettled chills, the one that Ama shot Astrid moments later did it- the Blissey's eyes were like burning coals and her smile was devilish. Arashi too gave a slightly startled cry at seeing it, but shortly, it was Ama's turn to give off a cry of protest, for Raijin certainly didn't waste any time in targeting the Drampa again. Ama rushed to block it as fast as she could, but Jingle was letting out a heavy roar of discomfort as the rainbow burst of energy collided.

"_Gyah!_ Urgh, you scoundrel…!" the dragon choked out, his countenance going pained. If his voice was anything to go by, he'd lost a fairly huge chunk of health.

"Forgive me!" Raijin called back.

Chira too was readying to set off her own Fairy-type attack on the Coalition lead, but an Ice Beam and a Razor Leaf raining down from above made her pause when her scarves and one of her arms were covered in ice. Astrid's leaves jabbing into her pelt weren't all that pleasant either, and her pinkish glow left in favor of a Swift forming instead.

"Aim for her scarves," Astrid said quickly while the starry discs dissipated against Rozen's shields, one of her wings hardening while she flapped around them for a better vantage point.

Arashi did so, Chira growling in frustration as more ice hardened around her. She wasn't completely frozen solid, but it was enough to keep her in place while she tried to crack through with her writhing scarves and tail. Astrid's grip on her partner released and he dropped back on the ground, but she wasn't too far behind in diving down at Chira before slamming her between the eyes with a Steel Wing.

"Uwaaaa! You're supposed to be cute and fluffy!" the Cinccino snarled, glaring daggers and Astrid.

"You are, too!" Arashi shot back.

Nonetheless, the ice around Chira cracked, and she shortly burst out of it with her own tail taking a steely glow. The Frogadier rushed out in a Quick Attack, but that didn't stop Chira from whopping him with her Iron Tail hard enough to send him flying into the side of one crystalline rock face that was shortly left with some prominent cracks in its surface.

"_Yiah-…!_" Arashi gasped.

"Arashi!" Astrid cried, looking over to him.

Chira only laughed, sending off another Swift before scurrying back to Ama's side. The Dartrix quickly flew to her comrade, swooping him up again and darting for Rozen while the stars collided with a Light Screen. A Soft-Boiled glow was already emanating from the Blissey's egg that both Chira and Jingle gladly basked in as well, but Adnea too had to retreat back as another Flamethrower spewed from Jingle's maw that targeted her and then the rest of them. All of the Coalition members huddled together behind Rozen's shields that clearly required quite a bit of concentration to keep up for as tired as it seemed to make the Audino, and Millicent quickly set to Decorating Rush too with her pretty cream swirls.

"That Blissey is doing a damn good job of fucking with us," Rush remarked, eyes narrowing on the remainder of Team Sweetheart's silhouettes in the blaze.

"I could handle Jingle fairly easily if she wasn't in the way," Raijin concurred.

"That Drampa is liable to flatten this place before long too," Rozen added. "Not to mention Chira continuously targeting you, Rush…"

One Light Screen broke, and quickly, another went up, the ones behind it jumping aside to avoid getting burned by the blistering heat of the residual flames. Astrid studied them too, thinking that indeed, Team Sweetheart was putting up quite the fight. Chira was a pestilence, Jingle was outright dangerous, and Ama was nothing short of an immoveable wall against all of their efforts. Had it only been her team alone, making a dent in their setup surely would've been much, _much_ harder, if not outright impossible. Still, Jingle's Flamethrower faded, and all three of Ama's brigade were still grinning with crazy eyes while her healing glow started to fade again.

The Dartrix thought for a moment, then, "U-um…"

Adnea's eyes fell on her fairly quickly. "Yes, that _is_ a feasible idea and we should try it."

The rest of them in their huddle cast their glances to her, and she shyly fluffed up a bit. Millicent looked a bit concerned yet inquisitive, but whatever the Alcremie was thinking, she apparently didn't see it fit to voice (or rather, mime) it. Arashi too studied her inquisitively, with much brighter eyes when Rozen's Heal Pulse restored his lost energy.

"What is? Whatcha got, Li'l-li'l Green?" Rush intently inquired.

Astrid looked to the Frogadier next to her. "C-can you use Quick Attack on Ama, but grab her egg instead of going for her…?"

He seemed a bit surprised at the suggestion, but nonetheless gave a quick nod.

Rush's face lit up, a smirk crossing it again. "Ohhhh, I see what you're up to, you _devious_ little bird!" he snickered.

"W-wait a second!" Raijin protested, "We're not _seriously-!_"

"There is no developing Happiny in that egg," Adnea quickly (and flatly) cut him off. "We are not stealing anyone's child."

That apparently assuaged whatever was running through the Xurkitree's head, but he still twitched again and mused, "… I have… _questions_."

"And we got answers, but for now, fish me out a Blast Seed from the loot y'all are carrying," Rush said, smirking gaze locked on Ama.

Whatever questions Raijin had, he wasn't asking, but he quickly went to dig out the item requested from their bag.

Astrid took to the air again while Arashi did as she had said, and the Frogadier turned into a blur while Chira cloaked herself in pinkish energy again and a sparking sphere of blue smoke gathered in Jingle's maw. Ama seemed to notice that something had brushed her, but in mere moments, she noticed something else very much amiss- the empty pouch on her stomach, and the egg that had formerly occupied it being clutched up by a certain Frogadier several meters away from her.

"Sorry in advance about your boss, Millicent," Rush chuckled to the Alcremie prettying him up with her swirls, stowing the Blast Seed between his teeth.

Millicent only smiled a hapless little smile and made a heart shape with her hands. The Scrafty laughed, giving her a pat on the back while Rozen put up a Reflect to block out Chira from Playing Rough. Adnea didn't waste time in trying her Hypnosis on the Cinccino next, but again, one of Chira's scarves was slapped over her eyes and her little feet running the other way when Raijin Discharged another nest of bolts at her.

Ama, however, got a wrathfully perturbed grin at noticing someone else holding her egg. "You get back here with that right now, Arashi!" she said, bordering on snarling. "Don't you know better than to steal a Blissey's egg?!"

Arashi stayed put, only moving when he set it down and Astrid came dropping down from above with a hardened wing. Very quickly, the egg's insides went splattering across both Astrid's front and the ground around them when she smashed it with a Steel Wing, which absorbed the Blissey's attention perhaps better than anything else. Maybe their less-than-friendly status quo made it understandable, but still, she couldn't help but feel a bit bad about smashing the egg, for she knew that only bliss and happiness came out of them and Ama herself seemed quite fond of carrying it everywhere.

The scream of despair and anger that left the Blissey's mouth may as well have been another Hyper Voice, for everyone winced on hearing it- not from damage, but in pure discomfort, for Ama sounded like she was in utter agony. Both Jingle and Chira had horrified looks as well, and Millicent too looked hesitant.

"_YOU-…!_" Ama shrieked, shaking with a disgusted, wrathful frown. "WHY?! _WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!_ YOU CAN'T JUST-!"

She wasn't occupied on anything but the messy remains of her egg, and with the dragon next to her taken aback too, it gave Rush the perfect opportunity to get close to her with his fist drawn back. Between Rozen's Helping Hand and Millicent's decorative boosts, Ama wasn't in for a pleasant experience, and she noticed such all too late.

"Aah-_aaaAAAAH…!_" the Blissey breathed, pure horror in her expression as her eyes fell on the Scrafty.

_WHAM!_

Even if they weren't the ones on the receiving end, everyone else present flinched at seeing the hit Ama took. Thankfully, she couldn't shatter like stone, but Rush's Brick Break almost instantly made her fall unconscious with her eyes rolled back in her head. She wouldn't be bothering them, _that_ was for sure, but her dragon comrade was in for quite the surprise too when Rush bit down on the Blast Seed and seemed to launch a Flamethrower of his own. The Drampa's furry wings flailed as if perhaps that would help him, and a mighty roar of protest escaped his maw.

"Sorry, not sorry!" the Scrafty remarked, jumping back.

"YOU _DEGENERATES!_" Chira screeched, taking a pink glow again. "You know how much the Happiny line loves their eggs and egg-shaped things! How _could_ you?!"

"Oh, I'm finding it hard to have any love for you lot after _that_ move!" Jingle concurred. "Millicent! You _traitor!_"

The Alcremie only held up a heart shape with her hands again, traipsing closer to Raijin and drawing a few swirls on his tail. The Xurkitree definitely wasn't protesting it.

The remaining two might have been left open without their shield and support, but that wasn't stopping them. Jingle turned a Flamethrower on Astrid and Arashi next, the leafy avian swooping up her partner as usual to gain safer ground, then turned an Extrasensory on Rozen when a Light Screen kept any of the flames from touching them. Of course, Rozen likewise shielded himself, but when the screen cracked, Rush darted right in front of him to nullify it instead.

Chira would've slammed the Scrafty with a Play Rough, but a Quick Attack from Arashi knocked her off course, and with a snarl, her scarves and tail almost seemed to take a life of their own when they Tail Slapped the Frogadier several times in a row before he could retreat. Astrid already had a Razor Leaf aimed for her when her partner darted out of the way, and yet again, Chira was clapping a scarf over her face, but rather to keep two sharp leaves from jabbing into her eyes while the rest embedded themselves in her fur and skin.

"Gods! You're _vicious!_" the Cinccino hollered in protest.

However, the moment she uncovered her eyes, a certain Orbeetle floated into her line of sight, and the brief moment of their gazes meeting was enough to get a hold on Chira's mind. Another Swift materialized for just a moment, then paused, then dissipated, the one creating the attack getting glowing eyes herself.

Jingle, though, had the beginnings of another Dragon Breath in his mouth while Raijin became cloaked in a rainbow glow made even more intense from Millicent's boosts. The Drampa was something fearsome, to be sure, but there was absolutely no ignoring the hesitance in his eyes at _not_ having Ama as a shield when Raijin aimed a Dazzling Gleam at him, for as intense as the Xurkitree's attacks usually were, Millicent's boosts made the light almost burn for everyone in the vicinity even if they weren't close. The Alcremie herself averted her gaze and backed up a bit, even if she herself was a fairy and ordinarily right at home amongst fairy energy.

"_Millicent…!_" Jingle growled.

"Forgive me, Jingle!" Raijin cried.

The beam of sparking blue smoke was easily overtaken by the rainbow pulse of energy, and the Drampa went down with a roar. Millicent winced a bit at that hit, too.

"Thanks," the Xurkitree said, giving the one next to him a little tap on her shoulder with his tail.

Millicent only smiled, holding up another heart shape.

Chira, though, under Adnea's gaze, stopped lashing out for a bit, but still, even with her glowing eyes, she didn't seem very happy at the Orbeetle's intervention. "Are you getting in the way of our love and enlightenment?!" she fussed. "Adnea, you…!"

One of her scarves lashed at the researcher, but Adnea swiftly floated out of its way while still keeping her hold on Chira's mental state.

"Yunael was _much_ easier than this," the Orbeetle remarked. "I suppose that's to be expected, but… heavens, how much poison _did_ Seven Thousand douse you in?"

"Don't you take away my enlightenment!" Chira hissed, looking as though she _wanted_ to attack but was frozen in place.

"Don't you resist me," Adnea sharply shot back.

It took a few moments more before Chira blinked in confusion a few times, but she seemed to calm down eventually, the wildness leaving her eyes for more tranquility. She studied the Orbeetle for a second, then looked around at the others, almost immediately getting an alarmed look at noticing Ama and Jingle limp and unmoving. Still, everyone but Adnea was keeping their distance just in case.

"… Alright, what happened?" Chira inquired, dusting herself off with one scarf. "The last thing I clearly remember is that we were all getting wrecked by Squad Fourteen-Five and the big red guy himself punched me. Then there's something about trying to spread love and enlightenment and… Just who _is_ Void? And did we _actually_ just have a huge fight? I feel like I should _still_ be raising a ruckus, but…"

"Yeah, we _actually_ just had a huge fight, ehehe," Rush answered her, crossing his arms and smirking.

Wordlessly, Chira looked to Millicent, who nodded and made a few more gestures, then back to Adnea.

"I'll fill the fuzzy gaps in yours and Millicent's memory in a bit, but for now, I'd rather focus on your fainted comrades," the Orbeetle noted matter-of-factly, turning and floating towards Ama and Jingle.

The two conscious ones of Team Sweetheart found it agreeable and nodded, while Rozen too followed after Adnea. The Starstorm trio exchanged glances, and Astrid and Arashi let out sighs of relief.

"… That Blissey really _is_ something else," Raijin remarked.

Chira giggled, still carefully fluffing up her scarves and grooming the dirt out of her fur with them. "Isn't she~?" then, looking over the Starstorm trio and especially noting the remnants of eggshell and egg yolk on Astrid's wing, "You lot are filthy! Let me fix that!"

Before anyone could protest, Chira's scarves and tail were quickly brushing them off, the Dartrix shyly fluffing up while her comrades looked surprise but didn't protest. Arashi even started grinning.

Rush laughed. "Ehehe, here we go, typical Chira grooming anyone and anything that looks even slightly dirty!"

The Cinccino gave him a sly look. "Don't you have walls to punch or something?" she remarked with a smile.

Both she and the Scrafty laughed, Rush holding one hand up that Chira slapped with her tail.

Adnea, however, was already in position to stare straight into Jingle's eyes as Rozen set to restoring his health too with a Heal Pulse. It didn't take long at all for the dragon to begin stirring rather fiercely, but the moment his eyes opened, Adnea's were already glowing and his started too as well. What seemed like the umpteenth Light Screen for that day went up when a burst of flames left Jingle's maw, but compared to what he was breathing off earlier, it was more subdued.

"Calm yourself, Jingle," Adnea commanded. "You will not hurt anyone."

He wasn't attacking, but just like Chira, it sure looked like he wanted to. A minute or two of Adnea's Hypnosis later, and he too was resembling his usual placid self.

"Adnea, Rozen?" the dragon nonchalantly asked. "What-"

"I'll show you later," the Orbeetle cut him off.

That was agreeable, and the Drampa stood aside to let her deal with Ama next. Another Heal Pulse from Rozen had the Happiness Pokémon stirring, and she too was staring into Adnea's Hypnosis with her wild eyes the second she came to.

"You bunch of-!" the Blissey cried angrily, glaring at Adnea and Rozen.

"Stop it, Ama," the Orbeetle said flatly.

Likewise, Ama too seemed like an ordeal to get a handle on, but Adnea's focus wasn't breaking. Seeing a Blissey kick up such a fuss with her snarls and shrieks of protest was… quite an odd sight, but that too was probably to be expected from the neurotoxin she'd been hit with. The others of Team Sweetheart definitely seemed to find it strange, and Millicent made a few more gestures while Chira and Jingle got hapless looks on their faces.

Still, after a minute or two, the tranquility had more or less returned to Ama's face, and she lit up with a smile fairly quickly. "Oh, darlings! It seems we had quite a brawl! I was worried we would turn into another set of those fussing crazies, but… Ah, we've been saved~!"

Another sigh of relief came from Astrid and Arashi. Ama, though, quickly threw one of her arms around Rozen, beckoned Adnea down for a hug, then gave the Orbeetle a little embrace too when Adnea obliged her (albeit with an unenthusiastic expression and rolling eyes). Her egg might not have been there, but she was still hugging them as though it were, for clearly, she wasn't used to having an empty pouch.

"Yo, Ama! That was _rad!_" Rush cackled, giving her a playful smirk. "Makes me damn glad we're on the same side, ehehe!"

"Ohhhh, Rush, darling~!" Ama chirped, skittering over to the Scrafty next and throwing an arm around him too. "I'm always so happy to see yooouuuuu~!"

Rush laughed again, putting an arm around Ama too before she scurried off to give the Starstorm trio little hugs in rapid succession too (that Astrid again couldn't help blushing underneath her feathers at). It was as if she'd never been poisoned… but perhaps she was just so overflowing with love and joy that it didn't matter.

"But, I just have to ask…~" the Blissey's voice trailed off. "What… What happened~? Why, I feel like I've just been running on fighting instincts since Squad Fourteen-Five knocked us out, and… Well, it's all blurry!" She cast a pitiful glance to the shattered remains of her egg next, a hapless whimper escaping her mouth. "And I know you all wouldn't do _that_ without reason…~"

Astrid tried as hard as she could to sink into her feathers, Arashi got an awkward look, and Raijin too was uncertainly tapping his fingers together again.

"Allow me," Adnea chimed in.

Shortly, all four of the sweethearts were getting surprised, taken aback looks when memories from Adnea graced their minds.

"Ah! So we tried to fight you, claiming it was for love!" Ama cried, hopping in place for a second. "That darling- er, I suppose I _shouldn't _call her a darling!- Seven Thousand made us go crazy and try to spread 'enlightenment' for someone called Void that we've never met! Oh, how _awful!_"

"Ack! I used Rozen as a shield! I would never!" Chira exclaimed in dismay before darting over to the Audino and giving him a hug too. "Sorry, Rozen!"

The Audino chuckled. "Oh, I do not blame you, Chira, rest assured."

"And I tried to attack these two tiny unevolved forms along with the rest of you!" Jingle lamented, casting a horrified glance to Astrid and Arashi. "Oh, what a terrible turn of events!"

"Rush!" Ama cried, grabbing one of the Scrafty's hands. "Do you know of a Squad Fourteen-Five or where they ran off to?! If they're tied to these 'crazy' incidents, then we can't let them get away! This absurdity has to stop!"

"We don't, but Adnea's on the lookout for them and more like them," Rush answered. "Look, Ama, there's more to it than you're thinking, a _lot_ more, and I've been meaning to have a serious talk with some other team leads to get 'em up to speed. You busy tonight?"

The Blissey was certainly listening. "Oh? I'm not busy, but… darling, have you uncovered something?"

"More like conveniently ran into a reliable source," Rush remarked. "Our buddy Raijin here used to be one of 'em."

Team Sweetheart's eyes fell on the Xurkitree, who silently held his arm out and revealed his own identifying mark. Millicent gingerly backed away on seeing it, Chira and Jingle gasped, and Ama blinked a few times in surprise.

"… Those are the same sorts of marks that Squad Fourteen-Five had!" the Blissey exclaimed. "But, Raijin, darling, you're not a troublemaker, I can tell!"

"… Well, I _try_ really hard not to be, at least," the one in question said softly, his turned-out cable twisting back around.

Ama chuckled, skittering over and throwing an arm around Raijin again as best she could. "Don't worry, I believe you! From what I've seen and heard, you're a real sweetheart too!"

If a creature made of wires with a spiked ball perched atop them could blush, their Beast comrade probably would have been.

Ama, though, skittered back over to Astrid and Arashi, nuzzling between them and sticking her arms around them. "And you two! I'm so glad you cracked that egg, all things considered! They're supposed to be full of love and happiness, but obviously, if I was getting into a battle with all of you, I was missing the 'love' part, so that egg was no good! What kind of pathetic excuse for a Blissey would I be if I was carrying around an egg like _that?!_"

The Dartrix was definitely relieved that Ama wasn't upset at them for it, but at the same time, she had to wonder if there really _was_ love in Ama's eggs. She wasn't sure what love would look like coming out of an egg, but what _did_ come out of the one she carried looked a lot like a plain, unremarkable yolk… Perhaps she'd have to actually eat one to notice, but she wasn't keen on asking the Blissey for one so soon after cracking the last she'd carried.

"But~!" the Blissey continued, turning loose of the unevolved ones and hopping up and down while clapping her hands again. "I say this is an event worth celebrating! How about we fetch the rest of your comrades and we all go to Grumpy's~? All on us, Coalition lovelies! We owe you!"

"A'ight, I'll take you up on that, if only 'cause I ain't gotten smashed on berry beer in months!" Rush quickly replied, grinning.

Rozen chuckled, not protesting the idea at all, while Adnea rolled her eyes again without saying a word. Arashi instantly got a mischievous grin, and both of his comrades knew exactly what was on his mind. Astrid again went fluffing up, if only because the idea of going someplace with such a big group (never mind the others that would surely be there too) was rather… intense. Still, if all else failed, she could surely find a corner to nestle in and shove Arashi in front of her to deal with whatever social interaction might happen.

"_Yeeees~!_" Ama cheered, clapping her hands again and practically doing a happy dance. "Oh, what do we say, comrades?!"

Even without the Coalition bunch joining in, the refrain still echoed off of the mountaintop.

"_MAY LOVE AND JOY FILL THE WORLD~!_"

* * *

However, shortly after entering the town's perimeter again, and while Team Sweetheart broke off from the Coalition bunch to retrieve Yunael…

"_No!_" Raijin exclaimed, making the ones close to him jump back when sparks shot down his form for a moment.

"Yiah! What's wrong?!" Arashi cried, looking very startled at the sudden jolts of electricity mere centimeters away from where he had been.

The streets were bustling as always, but one in particular apparently stood out to the Xurkitree, for he stopped dead and quickly grabbed hold of Astrid with one hand, looking ready to swoop her up and run the other direction. The Dartrix fluffed up too, likewise startled and wanting to see what the matter was.

"Something up?" Rush asked, eyeing their Beast comrade.

In response, Raijin raised his other hand up and pointed out one figure with their back to them flapping alongside a Wobbuffet on the ground - a winged purple draconian with three stingers, one of which was _huge_ in comparison to the other two and bore a mark of UB07-2004. Astrid followed where he was pointing and took immediate notice of the identifying marks, she too quickly looking ready to run the other direction. With widened eyes, she skittered backward a bit, nudging as close to Raijin as she could possibly get, and Arashi stuck close to her in turn too, albeit making certain to stay as far away from their Beast comrade as he could while still wrapping an arm around Astrid. Rush and Rozen seemed a bit surprised as well, but Adnea wasn't reacting at all.

"… Naganadel," Raijin noted, keeping his voice low. "Urgh, did they find us already…?! We can't-!"

"They did not," Adnea flatly cut him off. "That's not a Naganadel. That's a Ditto- a very happy-go-lucky one named Xeno, to be precise."

Rush snickered, crossing his arms. "Hah! The fuck happened for him to be using a form like that?!" he remarked, studying the one in question. Then, louder to get attention, "Yo! Xeno! Karma!"

The stinging dragon turned around along with the Wobbuffet, and fairly quickly, the Starstorm trio was picking up on why the others didn't seem so worried. Whatever facial features a Naganadel was supposed to have, Astrid wasn't _entirely_ sure, but the eyes that looked back at them clearly belonged to a Ditto.

"Oh, hello!" Xeno happily greeted, giving a wave and fluttering over as quick as he could with his comrade keeping close by. "I see you're all back in one piece!"

Astrid deflated, and Arashi too eased up, but Raijin still seemed rather tense while he studied the form that Xeno imitated as if still processing that the one before them _wasn't_ a Beast.

"You… You're not…" the Xurkitree's voice trailed off uncertainly. He relaxed soon, though. "W-wait, you're the one we saw this morning!"

The Ditto laughed, glancing to Raijin next. "I sure am!" he replied, grinning. "What's got you all flustered? Did I unwittingly Transform into your nemesis or something?" He crossed his arms and giggled some more, Karma giving him a very pointed look (at least, as pointed as a Wobbuffet's perpetually flustered look could get). "Don't worry, I can change that! Sorry, bro!"

Xeno's body glowed white and completely reformed into another form, that of a Swampert.

"N-no, it's fine," Raijin quickly said to the contrary. "That's just standard Ditto fare, right…? But, you had to get that form _somewhere_…"

"Bramble Peak was full of surprises today," Karma noted.

"It sure was!" the Ditto concurred, his body glowing white again.

Yet again, the Ditto Transformed into something that looked even more outlandish- a small white and paper-thin body with two _exorbitantly_ sharp arms stained slightly red on their edges and ornate accents in yellow and orange. Two beady black Ditto eyes (that didn't seem to belong on the body _at all_ otherwise) peered back at them from above a mouth resembling a paper fortune teller, and on one blade arm was the mark UB04B-3017. Raijin twitched again at seeing it, and Astrid couldn't help being a bit unsettled at what were clearly the remnants of bloodstains on the sharp white edges. Arashi grinned awkwardly too, eyeing the red stains with uncertainty.

"I mean, look at _this_ one too!" Xeno happily exclaimed. "It looks pitiful, but it's the sharpest thing I've ever seen! Aesthetically _and_ literally!"

The Ditto giggled again and spun around in the air, making both Raijin and Karma visibly uncomfortable.

"Hey! Don't dance around so carelessly!" the Wobbuffet scolded. "You saw what those blades were capable of!"

"R-really!" Raijin concurred.

With a giggle, Xeno was still, and Transformed into a Pidgeot instead.

Adnea rolled her eyes again, piping up, "Xeno, Karma, can I show the rest of our group your memories so they know what you're referring to?"

That certainly sounded agreeable to the rest of the expeditioners there, and Astrid definitely wanted to see what had transpired to give the Ditto the two forms he used.

"Oh, go right ahead!" Xeno cheerfully replied.

"If you wish," Karma wasn't opposed.

* * *

"What is going _on_ here?!" exclaimed the metallic-tinged voice of a Kartana. "Which one of you is Blast?!"

Two responses came at almost exactly the same time of "I am!" and "No, me!" but the two figures rattling them off could hardly be distinguished. Two round white heads with glowing blue and pink spheres of light covering the surface sat atop two blue and pink-striped yellow bodies with UB08B-12784 marked at the top of one leg, both of the figures shaking a white claw-like hand at the other. Of course, the Ditto eyes on one Blacephalon would've been apparent to anyone looking for them, but apparently, the Beasts on Bramble Peak didn't know to do so.

"And which one of you is Forty-Sixty?! Seriously! Knox and Remi didn't warn us about _this!_" the purple dragon exclaimed, likewise studying two others.

Two quite large metallic yet plant-like figures looked at each other, one lots more flustered than the other. The cannon-like arms that they pointed at each other were surely something that no one wanted to get in the middle of, but the cascading metallic sheets almost akin to long hair and the layers of metallic 'bark' around their bodies (the lowest of which was marked UB04A-4060) gave a feel of elegance as well. They were indistinguishable in looks, save for the frown that one wore while the other smirked.

"It's _me_, Twenty-O-Four!" a flustered but pretty voice protested, sounding like a fussing chorus of chimes. "You _know_ it's me!" then to the other 'Celesteela,' "Don't make me burn you down!"

Of course, the fact that the other was silent probably would've tipped off another expeditioner that a Zoroark was casting an illusion and there were _not_, in fact, two Celesteelas.

Of the thorny trees sparsely dotting the hillside, an entire section of them was cleanly sliced apart, their severed halves haphazardly strewn over the ground. Still another section was smoldering, and a few patches of the ground were drenched in poisonous liquid. The terrain might've been rather rocky and rough, but Team Charade didn't mind, and the strange figures they encountered didn't seem to care either even if they too seemed completely out of place among the usual inhabitants of Bramble Peak. A Wobbuffet and a Girafarig mostly stood back for the time being, amusedly watching the Beasts get confused and flustered at their comrades' shenanigans.

"This is what happens when you attack Team Charade," Karma noted nonchalantly.

"Thirty-Seventeen, you're our team lead, how should we approach this?!" the Naganadel exclaimed.

"_I've_ got an idea!" the Ditto-eyed Blacephalon chimed in, his head rolling off of its place and into his hands. "What does _this_ do~?!"

_BANG!_

He hurled his head at the other Blacephalon, who gave a flustered shout as it exploded point-blank. The glowing blue and pink spheres expanded outwards like a firework, then converged back on Xeno's head where they reformed to their original form. The Ditto stumbled a bit, clearly taken aback at literally blowing up a part of his new form, but otherwise seemed content enough.

"Oh, don't you use my own move against me!" Blast fussed, taking hold of his own head too.

However, Thirty-Seventeen apparently had other ideas and turned to the one without Ditto eyes. "Good idea! The _real_ Blast _always_ goes launching his head to surprise enemies! You've been uncovered, impostor!"

"_What?!_" the actual Blacephalon protested, his head rocking around a little in frustration. "Thirty-Seventeen, it's _me!_"

That didn't seem to matter so much when the Kartana's blades took a dark purplish glow that elongated slightly, Thirty-Seventeen raising both of them up to strike. Blast hollered again in protest, sticking his head back in its usual place and turning the other way to run.

Karma gave the Girafarig next to her a glance. "Ravi, you should steal that one's power," she noted, pointing one arm at Blast.

"I believe I will!" the Girafarig concurred.

Blast apparently could run fairly fast, but the Kartana caught up easily and sliced him down with a Night Slash, straight through Blast's head that seemed to deform for a moment with the attack. Yet, while the Blacephalon was thankfully left in one piece, Thirty-Seventeen's attack wasn't so kind to the surroundings, for the ground too was left with a giant slash splitting its surface open when the Kartana's blades merely brushed it. Nonetheless, just before the Blacephalon slumped over unconscious, the bluish glow of a Power Swap surrounded both him and the Girafarig, who started to smirk just like the disguised Zoroark pretending to be a Celesteela.

"Ooooh! That one is powerful!" Ravi happily exclaimed, stomping his front hooves gleefully.

However, Xeno too had other ideas, and instead turned to the Beast team lead before shooting a Flamethrower. Of course, Thirty-Seventeen turned around all too late to see it coming, and only a sharp shout of dismay followed before the Kartana too was wavering faintly in the breeze, covered in singe marks and unmoving. Xeno chuckled, Transforming into the fainted one's form next.

Both the Celesteela and Naganadel let out cries of surprise.

"Thirty-Seventeen!" Forty-Sixty exclaimed. "_No!_"

"But…! I've never seen Thirty-Seventeen lose a fight! They _always_ win!" Twenty-O-Four likewise hollered. "_That's_ gotta be the real Thirty-Seventeen!"

"But since when could they change bodies like that?!" the Celesteela wasn't so sure. "Have you seen a form-changing Kartana before?! _I_ haven't!"

They didn't have much time to fuss over the turn of events when Ravi went launching a Psychic at the Naganadel and the end of one of Kuro's cannon arms took a ghostly purple glow. Forty-Sixty put up a Wide Guard around herself and her comrade to block out both Ravi's attack and Kuro's Shadow Claw (that really couldn't qualify as being used with a 'claw'), both of them looking flustered as could be.

"Okay, safe to say you're the real Forty-Sixty?!" the Naganadel quickly inquired of the other one inside the shield, taking note of the other 'Celesteela's' move.

"_Yes!_" was the affirmation.

The moment the shield faded, the inside of one of Forty-Sixty's arms started glowing red with heat and she launched a Flamethrower at Kuro's visage, which in turn faded back to his normal bipedal canine look before he scurried out of the way. Twenty-O-Four, on the other hand, turned his stinger at Karma and Ravi before shooting a Dragon Pulse their way, but the Girafarig merely leaped behind Karma, who hardly moved a muscle. Instead, the moment the attack hit her, it bounced right off of a Mirror Coat and back at the Naganadel. Another surprised cry left the dragon's mouth as he quickly flapped to the side, the reflected beam of energy sailing off into the distance harmlessly.

"Come a little closer," the Wobbuffet beckoned without a care. "Or shall I come to you?"

The Girafarig behind her giggled, knowing that Karma's Shadow Tag would activate if such were to happen, and escape would become all but impossible for their foe. That seemed exactly what the Wobbuffet was intent on, for she started waddling closer to Forty-Sixty while Ravi set off another Psychic.

"This world _is_ weird!" the Celesteela protested, readying a Flash Cannon. "We have to tell the others!"

"You do that!" Xeno laughed, sticking his bladed arms together. "Whoever you're with, tell 'em Team Charade said hi!"

* * *

The Starstorm trio was silent for a few moments, Astrid blinking in surprise while Arashi seemed fairly intrigued. Rush, though, gave another laugh, and playfully shoved one of Xeno's wings.

"Look at ya! Chasin' those asshats off with their own forms!" the Scrafty remarked, smirking with mischievous eyes.

The Ditto giggled. "Well, I'd never seen those species before, so I just had to try them out! Besides, they'd apparently never seen a Ditto before if my face wasn't tipping them off!"

"They'd clearly never seen a Wobbuffet either, seeing as they looked frightened when I bounced all of their attacks off," Karma added. "The poor things must have thought I was a useless tagalong."

"Heh, you ain't one I'd just walk up and punch either, Karma," Rush said with a smirk. "Attacking a Wobbuffet head-on is like kicking your own ass!"

Xeno giggled some more, Rush and Rozen following suit as well. Adnea only rolled her eyes, clearly not as easily amused.

Raijin wasn't laughing, but he too chimed in, sounding rather relieved. "That's… seriously impressive."

"Oh, it's easily my favorite thing about my species," Xeno brushed it off, primping his large plume with one wing. "When a strong foe appears in our way, they're basically handing their power over to us!"

It certainly _was_ a good strategy, Astrid figured. If a squad of Beasts appeared, then one who could Transform into any of them was easily the best counter to them. Facing Xeno must have been like walking into a death trap in the form of a grinning purple blob… or at least, it would've been, had they ever seen him in his natural form.

"Well, there's somethin' about that, actually, Xeno," Rush noted, still smirking but giving the Ditto-eyed Pidgeot another gentle nudge. "You up to anything after sundown? It's important."

Xeno shook his head. "I got nothing! Especially if it's important!"

"Oh, is everything alright?" Karma inquired, perking up.

Rush chuckled. "I'm gonna make damn sure it is, at least."

Both Xeno and Karma nodded.

Shortly, they were exchanging their goodbyes and heading their respective directions, Xeno going right back to being a Naganadel when the rest of the Coalition bunch had their backs turned… at least, until they were far enough away to not be seen anymore. He turned into his imitation of Raijin's form, giggling in a much more electrical-sounding voice.

"Maybe I should've used _this_ one!" the Ditto chuckled. "Now I know what his voice sounds like, so my form is perfect!"

"Or it would be, if not for blatant Ditto face syndrome," Karma brushed him off. "I'm just waiting for the day you imitate the wrong Pokémon and cause someone trouble."

"Oh, come on, Karma! Imitation is the best form of appreciation!"

In the Coalition bunch, however, Astrid still couldn't help mulling over the fact that Team Charade had apparently walked away from their own Beast encounter with such ease, but clearly, the elements of surprise and confusion had been on their side as well. Besides, if Team Sweetheart's fiasco was anything to go by, the fact that there had been no Nihilego there to exert influence over Xeno's team with neurotoxins probably made things much less problematic.

Dren was still on the rooftop and gave them a friendly greeting, his tail aimlessly draped over the side as he perched tranquilly. For such a large and intimidating draconian form, he never gave off a threatening air.

_Inside_, however, Lazuli and Cinder had apparently been conversing as nonchalantly as they possibly could judging from the cheerful intonations of words they couldn't quite make out, for the Azumarill was grinning, and the Fletchinder seemed to be happy… for the split second he didn't notice the rest of the Coalition members slipping back into HQ. Almost too fast to see, his eyes were narrowed on the Starstorm trio again, practically ablaze with bridled fury.

"Did you win?" Cinder quickly inquired in a tone so icy he may as well have been an Ice-type. "Did the triad of screw-ups hold you back?"

It was easy enough to figure out which half of the brigade was being referred to as the 'triad of screw-ups' from Cinder's glare. Astrid fluffed out, and Raijin shrank up. Lazuli gave the avian next to her a shove, still smiling nonetheless.

Rush didn't seem too concerned. "Right the opposite, bitchcake!" he brushed it off with a smirk.

"Oh, must we use such vitriolic words?" Rozen mused haplessly, shaking his head.

Adnea was silent, not having a care in the world. Arashi, though, still smiled, and strode closer to the Fletchinder, sticking a hand on his wing. Cinder looked ready to flog him for that alone, and Astrid got slightly wide eyes at her comrade's gesture too.

"Hey, look!" Arashi said amiably, as if there _wasn't_ burning rage in the Fletchinder's countenance. "We know you have reasons for being like you are and we know no one is supposed to talk about it, alright? We just wanna be friends; you don't have to threaten us!"

The Dartrix's eyes stayed wide open, for she couldn't quite believe her partner saying such without a second thought to someone so standoffish. Raijin twitched too, rather unsure what to make of it, and Lazuli's grin too became a bit uncertain. Still, they didn't have much time to be uncertain nor did Arashi have much time to keep grinning before Cinder's wing was slamming into the side of the Frogadier's head and his talons practically pinning him to the floor. The Fletchinder didn't seem to want to stop there either, for he leaned his head back poised to rip into Arashi with his beak next.

"_Yiah-!_" Arashi cried, squirming in protest and a Water Pulse forming in his mouth in panic.

"_Arashi!_" Astrid hollered in surprise, darting over with a quickly hardening wing.

"_Hey!_" Raijin too objected, a few bolts sparking to life in one hand.

Lazuli reacted quickly too, grabbing hold of one of Cinder's wings and yanking him backwards, right as Arashi spit a Water Pulse. The Frogadier jumped back to his feet too, then promptly jumped aside as a Flamethrower spewed out of the fiery avian's beak, Cinder not seeming to notice Lazuli holding him back but flailing against her anyway. Still, Arashi shortly found himself with Astrid at his side and Raijin's sparking cables planted around him, but that apparently didn't dissuade the Fletchinder either when some more embers glowed from inside his beak.

However, what _did_ stop them all was Adnea floating down between them with glowing eyes directed at Cinder and Rozen putting up a Light Screen in front of the Starstorm trio.

"_ENOUGH!_" thundered the Orbeetle in a huge voice hardly befitting of such a small body.

Cinder's eyes started to glow too, making his flailing cease, and Adnea quit her Hypnosis shortly thereafter even if he was still glaring. Rozen's screen went down too, but Astrid and Rajin stayed by their comrade, not quite ready to leave him unguarded after such a display.

"What did you tell them?!" Cinder hollered, casting his furious glance over at Rush and Rozen next.

"We didn't tell them a thing," Rozen answered, quite unamused.

"Get a fuckin' grip, will ya?" Rush remarked, eyes narrowing while he still smirked. He crossed his arms. "If you weren't on _this_ team and I didn't know you better, I'd beat your ass for somethin' like that."

The Fletchinder wasn't keen to keep attacking, but he still glared even as he averted his gaze down to the floor. "… _Go to hell._"

"I'll _give_ you hell," the Scrafty wasn't bothered. "Anyways, you two- Team Sweetheart is back in commission and Ama wants to celebrate over at Grumpy's. You two down?"

Lazuli's face instantly lit up. "Ooooh! Yes!"

The rage seemed to leave Cinder's eyes, and he flatly stammered out, "… S-_sure_."

At that, Rush broke into a wider grin, eyes dancing with mischief. "Good! Let's go tell Dren to get his ass down and let's go have some _fun!_"

The Azumarill clapped her hands together and practically scurried out the door before anyone else, and they could hear her hollering up at the dragon on the roof shortly thereafter. For just a moment, Cinder's gaze fell back on the Starstorm trio, eyes burning with wrath again as if he might spit another Flamethrower, before he too set off after her. With nothing left to be on guard about, Astrid eased up and Raijin went back to his usual bipedal stance, the three of them exchanging wordless glances before they too set off behind Rush and Rozen.

Arashi too wore a grin, giving Astrid a mischievous look, and she still knew exactly what he was angling for.

"If _you_ go getting tipsy, just don't forget who we are or something like that," the Dartrix softly pleaded. "You're the social one; I need you to hide behind."

Her partner giggled, giving her wing a pat. "Don't worry! I've only had berry beer once when Mom offered me a taste, and it was _awful!_ I can't imagine drinking enough to get tipsy!" He gave both of his comrades a glance. "But, if I did, you two would keep me from doing something completely stupid, right?"

"Of course," Raijin replied. "I _can't_ get tipsy from drinking things like that, so obviously I should be the one watching out."

The Frogadier laughed. "You're the _best_, Raijin- always watching out!"

"That's why I'm here," the Xurkitree said, giving them both a gentle pat with his tail.

Astrid fluffed up a little, saying in a just-audible voice so that none of their other comrades could hear, "… F-for what it's worth, I'm glad you're both here…"

The two next to her paused, casting their gazes on her. She was a bit surprised when she found herself with Arashi's arms thrown around her, her partner grinning hugely, but didn't protest it. She didn't protest Raijin reaching down and giving her a gentle pat on the back either. Had her wings not been practically pinned to her sides by Arashi's embrace, she would've hugged both of them, but apparently, that would have to wait for another time. In any case, they quickly snapped out of it before Adnea's piercing stare or Cinder's furious gaze could fall on them again.


	38. Chapter 38: Face-Breaking and Not Caring

Whatever sort of environment Grumpy's Lounge was, it was one that Astrid instantly deduced she was not at home in. The little rows of roses out front and the look of a log cabin with a bridge for a roof was innocuous enough, but the rambunctious nature of pretty much everyone else inside instantly made her feathers fluff up. The floors, walls, and furniture fixtures were all made of dark wood, and apparently that wood had seen better days, for many pieces of it had either singe or scratch marks in them. Another pretty little rose sat in a pot at the center of each table, mostly pink or red or yellow, and in the windows were more little flower pots that looked rather cheerful. Thankfully for the Dartrix, her group and Team Sweetheart took up near one of the windows, and the second the opportunity arose, she nestled herself between two of the pots with her back to the window glass, hoping to stay as far out of sight as possible without blatantly hiding under a table. Raijin didn't stray far from her side, and Arashi was close by, but by and large, the Frogadier was the one enjoying all the company.

A Flygon and a Wartortle appeared to have one heck of an argument across the room, both of them with foaming mugs in their hands, and their Torkoal tagalong was apparently trying to talk sense into them. Still in another corner, a Dusclops and Porygon-Z looked to be giggling at something, but what that something was, no one else had any idea. The entire place was abuzz with similar interactions, hardly a quiet soul among any of the occupants, and their own bunch wasn't very far off.

The antics of the seasoned expeditioners only got more pronounced the more they drank, and given the giant pitcher that 'Grandpa Grumpy' the Grimmsnarl himself left for them shortly after their arrival, there was _plenty_ to go around. Jingle had Arashi cuddled up in his furry wings for a bit while Chira groomed the Frogadier with her scarves, both of the pink bandana-wearing Pokémon slurring their words together as they happily cooed over the smaller figure. (Arashi didn't protest it at all and the three of them even made beckoning gestures at Astrid, but she stayed put. Cinder likely would've fit the 'cute unevolved form' bill too, but apparently, no one dared to say such.) Lazuli's ease of chattering practically went into overdrive, for if the Azumarill wasn't striking up conversation with anyone else, she was happily humming to herself and dancing in place until either Cinder or Yunael gave her a little nudge with their wings and carried on with her instead. Rozen couldn't stop grinning, and Rush wore a wild-eyed smirk, absolutely happy to punch at the air (but not any sentient creature, thankfully). Adnea stared in utter silence while occasionally taking a sip from a mug that floated next to her, her gaze still as piercing as ever even if she occasionally wobbled while levitating herself. The only ones that didn't partake in getting tipsy were the Starstorm trio and Dren, the latter of which munched on a roasted Noctowl (that a living Noctowl not too far away evidently wasn't spooked by, Astrid noted).

"… This place is _really _busy," Raijin softly remarked.

"… It really is," Astrid concurred, eyeing the rest of their company.

"We should come here more often!" Arashi happily suggested, much to Astrid's dismay and Raijin's uncertainty.

The Dartrix and Xurkitree cast him a glance, both of them wordless but the sentiment of doubt getting conveyed fine enough. Arashi only giggled, not minding too much.

"Um…" Astrid's voice trailed off, her gaze travelling up to the ceiling somewhat aimlessly. "Okay, this might sound pretty random, but… Do either of you know where berry beer comes from…? This stuff is… oddly familiar, but… for different reasons, I'm thinking."

Both of her comrades studied her for a second, Arashi with intensely inquisitive eyes.

"It's familiar? Why?" Arashi quickly inquired, grinning curiously.

Astrid tilted her head to the side. "Well… something about… juice from berries… just sounds familiar," she answered, trying to scrounge up something, _anything_ in her recollection to place where the familiarity was coming from.

Her partner chuckled. "You vaguely remember the _weirdest_ things, y'know that?" he jested, giving her a playful shove. "Spelon berries, middle fingers, and now _this!_"

She blushed a bit under her feathers, but she had to admit that Arashi was definitely right in that regard.

"I have no idea," Raijin freely admitted. "I'm not sure where anyone would grow berries on Ultra Space in the first place to make berry beer with. I doubt they'd ever sprout."

That sounded par, Astrid figured.

"I know Shuckles make it quicker than anything else," Arashi, on the other hand, answered. "They take some berries, stick 'em in their shells, wait a few days, and voila!"

At that, Astrid perked up with slightly wide eyes. "W-wait, really? That sounds familiar too, but…"

Her comrades studied her more, Arashi's grin spreading.

"Astrid?" the Frogadier playfully inquired. "I thought you weren't the tipsy type! Did your human self have a huge drinking problem or something and now your Pokémon self is having issues?"

Again her cheeks went turning bright red under her feathers, all of which puffed out on end. "N-no! Absolutely not! That's not what I'm getting at!"

"Then what _are_ you getting at?" her partner asked with a grin.

She deflated. "Well…! For some reason, I'm remembering this as a healing item, I think… Like you drink it after getting hit by an attack…" She thought some more for a second, both of her comrades still studying her. Her own eyes narrowed in scrutinizing thought. "But… if _that's_ the case…"

Arashi giggled. "Oh, I can see that! Drink some of the stronger stuff and I'm sure you wouldn't be feeling whatever damage you'd taken, or probably anything else!"

Astrid shook her head, considering the implications of that thought for a moment. "How did I never _notice_ that, then?!" she wondered, hapless exasperation in her voice. "If you get drunk off of and heal from the same thing, then… Oh, sheesh!"

Arashi couldn't help but laugh, amused at her realization.

"So… let me get this straight," Raijin chimed back in, sounding somewhat disbelieving. "If you're right, on _your _homeworld, humans sometimes give their Pokémon companions an inebriating substance to heal them."

"Apparently so," Astrid replied, unamused. "My gods, of _all_ the things to jog my memories…"

The Xurkitree tapped his finger together, shaking his head too. "… I have questions."

"So do I," Astrid concurred.

Arashi was too busy laughing at the idea to care.

Yet, of all the things to grace their senses, something else was a bit more worthy of spectating that both she and her comrades couldn't help but gawk a bit at when it started happening…

A certain Blissey held a certain Scrafty's hand while the two of them danced in a circle, both of their cheeks a much brighter shade of red due to the (_many_) empty mugs of berry beer sitting on the table.

"'Cause as my heart flutters on and we come out to play, you know we all know inside that love will always come save the day!" Ama sang.

Rush haphazardly carried on, but clearly he was out of the loop. "I ain't got a damn idea what the words to this song are and I'm not sure how much longer I can play along!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah~!" Yunael chimed in.

Chira and Jingle provided a cutesy bridge of la-la's and 'Love, more love!' before Ama picked it back up again.

"The answer to our problems and the things we all want more of are really one in the same: just add more love~!"

A cheerful whoop came from four of Team Sweetheart's members while Millicent only held up her usual heart-shaped hand sign, Ama and Rush ceasing to spin around and both of them struggling to regain their balance for a second before Dren's tail reached up and steadied them both. Some of the other Pokémon in other groups nearby clapped, getting cutesy little waves from Ama in return while Rush haplessly shook his head with a pointed grin directed at the Blissey.

"You're the only 'Mon that can rope me into doing cutesy shit like that," the Scrafty remarked.

Ama giggled. "Oh, darling, I'll take that as a sign of your love, ahahaha~!"

Lazuli and Cinder watched in amusement, the former not even hiding her laughter as she sipped her own mug while the latter kept an unfazed expression, laughing only with his eyes. Adnea might have been laughing with her eyes too, but her stoic expression and wordless state made it hard to tell.

"Oh, I have _plenty_ of love, Ama, I'd just rather not run around talking about it," the Scrafty laughed before grabbing up one mug and finishing it off. He grinned, but it was a rather confused grin at the same time. "Is… Is someone turning the lights on and off?!"

No such thing was occurring. However, at that moment, a Thievul strolled by, which Rozen appeared to take note of.

"You have lovely whiskers," the Audino amiably complimented.

The Thievul grinned and replied, "Thanks, chum!" before slinking off to his own company.

Cinder, though, once the masked vulpine was out of earshot, couldn't help but pointedly mutter to Yunael and Lazuli, "Are you kidding? He calls those whiskers lovely? If I woke up in the body of a Thievul, I'd throw myself off the nearest cliff out of embarrassment."

It wasn't out of earshot of the Scrafty, though, who shot Cinder a playful smirk. "Oh, go to hell, Cinder! Not everyone is born as a magnificent bird!"

"Maybe they _should_ be," the Fletchinder shot back without a care.

Rush, however, reached into his hood and pulled out a marker (much to Rozen's surprise, who gave it a funny look) before turning to Lazuli. "Yo, Lazuli, can I borrow your face?!"

"Sure!" the Azumarill didn't protest, skipping over without a care.

Shortly, Lazuli's face was getting covered with black markings greatly resembling a Thievul's whiskers and mask, which Cinder gawked at in horror.

"Where… where did you get a marker?" Rozen inquired, smiling but befuddled. "You emptied your hood into the basement stash days ago and haven't stowed anything else away in it…"

"Your mom, in the Distortion World," the Scrafty brushed him off.

That only confused everyone else much more. Surely, if any mission had been made to the Distortion World, that would've been a memorable occurrence, but judging from the pointed looks that the rest of the expeditioners (especially the Coalition members) gave Rush, Astrid figured that their lead was telling a bold-faced, drunken lie. Still, where he had produced his drawing utensil from was anyone's guess, but that certainly didn't concern Cinder, who was far more upset at what was being done with it.

"What're you _doing?!_" Cinder exclaimed, flapping his wings frantically and darting closer. "Don't tarnish Lazuli! Why, you-!"

Nothing but a horrified, flustered squawk escaped the Fletchinder when Rush turned around and made a move to draw whiskers on his face too, only a small streak of ink getting left on his beak. Still, it was plenty to send Cinder bolting behind Chira, flapping in frustrated panic the entire time.

"Chira! Oh gods, Chira, _help me get this hideous gunk off!_" he cried.

The Cinccino giggled, as did Jingle who gave the hapless avian a gentle pat with one furry wing, but shortly Chira was carefully wiping off Cinder's beak with one of her scarves.

"Hey! Can you do me, too?!" Arashi excitedly inquired of the scribbling Scrafty.

"Sure thing, Li'l Blue!"

Millicent made a few hand gestures that indicated she wanted in on the face-drawing as well, and shortly both the little cream fairy and Arashi were getting marked up much to Cinder's chagrin. Astrid blinked a few times in stupor at the events unfolding before her, and if Raijin had visible eyes, he probably would've been doing the same. Both Ama and Dren were giggling, the Salamence rattling off ideas such as giving Millicent's chest a Ditto face and drawing monocles on Arashi, both of which the ones being marked up were totally okay with.

"… I will bet all my left wing feathers that he is gonna wear that until it wears off and fuss when it starts to fade," Astrid remarked, studying her partner.

"I won't judge him if he does, but it _does_ look fairly ridiculous," Raijin replied.

Sure enough, once Rush was finished haphazardly scribbling on the Frogadier, he jumped into the sill and took up next to Astrid again, the familiar fanboyish excitement displayed in his countenance that she so easily recognized.

"I am gonna wear this _forever!_" he happily declared under his breath.

"If that's what makes you happy, that's what makes you happy," Astrid haplessly replied, patting him with one wing.

He giggled some more, but shortly was turning back to the Coalition lead. "Hey, Rush, mind if I ask you something?" he inquired, a big grin on his face while he tried to keep his fanboyish antics under control.

The Scrafty took another swig and looked back at him, smirking. "What is it, Li'l Blue?"

Astrid could quite easily tell that her partner's enthusiasm was about to boil over, but nonetheless, the Frogadier kept it under control as he asked with sparkling eyes, "If I've heard right from Lazuli… You've got some stories from the beginning of the Coalition's formation that are pretty great! Can you tell us some?!"

Rush's eyes too lit up at the inquiry, and he smashed one fist into the table's top with a _clunk_ while his smirk grew bigger. "Oh, you wanna know about Nifty and Swaggy, is that right?!"

Of course, the Starstorm trio had no idea who 'Nifty and Swaggy' referred to, but the rest of the expeditioners perked up at the mention.

Lazuli especially took note. "Yeah, that's the one! I didn't wanna tell him since you obviously handle it so much better than me!" she said, giving a glance to both Arashi and then the Coalition lead.

"Oh, my, it's been quite some time since I heard you mention _those_ names~!" Ama giggled.

Rush snickered to himself, shoving the marker back into his hood before fixing another mug. "Yeah, it's been a long-ass time since _I_ heard me mention those names too," he noted, laughing.

Even Rozen got a bit of a smirk, crossing his arms too. "Oh, _those_ hooligans…"

Dren chuckled, likewise cheerfully sly, his tail happily (but very gently) slapping the ground it rested on. "_I_ quite remember those two as well. The first and one of the _few_ times I've ever used my Mega Stone."

The Frogadier was getting even more excited, and Astrid took note of the fact that all the seasoned expeditioners seemed to know the names mentioned. What, precisely, that entailed, be it fame or infamy, she couldn't quite tell from their grins, but if Dren was mentioning Mega Stone usage, she had to assume the latter.

Rush looked to the Starstorm trio, throwing himself back in a chair that he turned to face them all. "A'ight, if y'all are a part of this team, I oughtta tell ya how the hell it came to be."

Astrid and Raijin were certainly paying attention, and Arashi pinched one of his arms to keep from squealing in excitement.

"Let me ask you three something," the Scrafty said, looking them all over. "What do ya know about the Scraggy line, if anything?"

"You've got a ruffian nature but you take care of what's important!" Arashi instantly piped up.

"You're Fighting- and Dark-types that are quite physically strong," Raijin added.

Rush giggled. "You're both right, but that ain't what I'm getting at," he brushed them off. He pointed at the crest on top of his head, still smirking. "What about _this?_"

"The Scrafty with the biggest one is the most respected," Astrid answered.

"_There_ we go!" Rush affirmed, balling one fist up and swinging it at nothing in particular. "When we're little-ass Scraggies, it's the bagginess of our skin that determines hierarchy, and when we evolve, the size of our crests! And y'know where _I_ was in the hierarchy?!"

"The top!" Arashi promptly exclaimed.

"_No!_" Rush immediately said to the contrary, crossing his arms again and laughing at the idea.

"The middle?" Raijin asked.

"I wish," was the answer.

Astrid tilted her head to the side but uncertainly inquired, "The bottom…?"

Rush's eyes practically glinted with mirth as looked at her and replied, "Damn straight, Li'l-li'l Green! _Dead fucking last_, to be exact!"

Both the Frogadier and Xurkitree were taken aback, Arashi blinking in surprise and Raijin giving a twitch.

"… You're joking, right?" Arashi asked incredulously, grinning uncertainly. "_You?!_ I… I can't see you at the bottom of _any_ hierarchy!"

"Forgive me if it's not my place to say, but that sounds like an incredibly unfair system," Raijin noted, tapping his fingers together. "Why… Why would an attribute you have no control over be any indication of how much respect you get?"

The Scrafty laughed. "If ya figure that shit out, Raijin, you tell me, 'cause I ain't got a damn clue," he jested. "But let me tell y'all- Arashi's right, we're mostly a bunch of damned ruffians, and yeah, if there's a fight, we'll be solving it with our fists and kicks like Raijin said. And when you're dead last on the hierarchy… well, you don't really qualify as 'important' to anyone so you end up dealing with ruffian bullshit _all the damned time._" Again he went balling a fist up and punching at nothing, cackling without a care. "Don't get me wrong! Y'all know I _love_ punching shit and raising hell, but there's only so much bullshit you can put up with before you snap and put someone's face through a wall, ehehe!"

Judging from the way his hands clenched around nothing, it seemed as though he might have been inclined to do just that had any candidate for head-smashing been around to get his hands on. Astrid fluffed up a bit, slightly hesitant at the playful aggression, but Arashi was grinning as widely as he could.

"Anyways," Rush said, settling back down again (at least, as much as he could seem to). "Ya head way southwest from the Crossroads and you'll find a place carved out of a mountainside called Rugged Slope, and it's _all_ a bunch of Scraggies and Scrafties, so that kind of stuff is the norm. That's where I'm from if it ain't obvious to ya. At the top of the crest ladder was this bastard named Swaggy and this bitch named Nifty. Ya practically _never_ saw those two apart from each other, and if ya knew what was good for ya, ya listened to 'em without question. So, let's just say… _I didn't get along with pretty much anyone else there._"

* * *

It was a pleasant day, the air cool and the flora alive with the vibrant greens and pinks and yellows of spring, several berry and fruit trees casting shade over a mostly open field of grass that gave way to a steep cliff side. Whatever houses were there were carved out of the reddish-orange mountainsides to the north, perhaps not the comfiest of dwellings with their cold hardness, save for only a handful of log hutches dotting the opposite side of the clearing. It certainly seemed a bit 'rugged,' for from the distance, the stone-carved houses probably could've been taken as oddly-shaped rocks if someone didn't study them too much, and a village literally situated on the edge of a cliff seemed precarious at best. Surely, anyone there had to _like_ the rugged environment, but even if it did seem a bit unwelcoming, it felt homely to the occupants. A Scrafty off in the distance loudly bantered with two smaller Scraggies, and on another corner of the town, a group of three or so Scraggies were apparently taking turns Headbutting a Pomeg tree to see who could make more berries drop.

However, as soon as another voice was added to the mix…

"Yo, Rush!"

One Scraggy very begrudgingly looked up from the notebook he scribbled a few lines down in to a quartet of four more smallish yellow figures with baggy skin, mischievous smirks on their faces. The Bluk berry tree that Rush perched under might have made a nice place to sit and enjoy some fresh air, but whatever enjoyment he was having left instantly the second he laid eyes on his company.

"… The hell do you guys want?" Rush asked flatly, frowning. He eyed two of them in particular, one with very baggy skin and another that was fairly close behind. "Swaggy, Nifty- ain't y'all got anything better to do?"

"Not really, no!" laughed the slightly less baggy of the baggiest ones. "You just looked so lonely!"

"And ya think I'm happy to see _you_, Nifty?" Rush shot back, unamused.

The baggiest one laughed too, reaching down and plucking up the book in Rush's hands before jumping backwards and holding it up so as to make it harder to reach. "What're you up to, huh?!" Swaggy asked with a laugh, scanning the page.

"Nothing important, probably!" Nifty said without a care.

Rush growled, jumping up and darting over. "Hey, asshat! That ain't yours!"

The other two Scraggies stuck themselves in his way while their ringleaders studied the pages, snickering all the while. Rush snarled, batting them away as best he could, but apparently they were determined to be as annoying as possible while impeding his movements.

"Ehehe, what's all this?!" Swaggy cackled, flipping through. "You're listing all the wild 'Mon in nearby dungeons and what attacks they use?! Hah, what good is _that_ gonna do you?!"

"It's for expeditions, bastard!" Rush protested, trying to push past the other two Scraggies but getting held back by the both of them.

"_What_ expeditions?!" Nifty giggled. "No one wants you in their group! Anytime someone goes exploring, you ain't there!"

"I go by myself, dumbass!" Rush still hollered in return, staring daggers at them both. "I don't _want_ any of you asshats with me! All you'd do is throw me in front of whatever dungeon-dweller ya came across and run the other way! If I get to the next floor, it's 'cause _I fucking made it myself! Ngaaaaah!_"

With his last shout, Rush smashed his head into one of the Scraggies holding him back and pounded his fist into the other's face, eliciting two distressed cries of pain. The ringleaders perked up, Swaggy throwing the book down and rushing over with Nifty close behind. The one with Rush's fist in her face responded with a Low Kick, knocking Rush off of his feet while the other one exacted Payback with a dark-shrouded fist.

"_Ngh-!_" Rush grunted, trying to shield himself with his arms seeing as there was very little sag in his skin to pull up as cover.

"Bastard!" Swaggy hollered, giving Rush another kick. "Don't you go hitting Spunk and Shady!"

"Damn, you just won't quit!" Nifty too fussed, dropping down and Headbutting their common target.

Rush struck out a few times with his own fists and feet, but four targets at once was a little too much for the hapless lone Scraggy to handle. Still, he got an '_Owwwww!_' when his fist made contact with one of the followers' faces, though the quartet only backed off when his movements slowed and his eyes started fluttering shut. He tasted blood in his own mouth and his sides ached from the kicks, but the glare didn't leave his face.

"Have fun with your dreams, asshat," Nifty mocked, brushing a scuff mark off of her own face.

"That's all they are- _dreams,_" Swaggy corroborated. "You'll never be one of us."

With a motion of Swaggy's hand, the four of them set off to somewhere else, Rush struggling to get back to his feet again while growling in wrath.

"… I don't _wanna_ be one of you asshats," he snarled under his breath. "Just you wait! You won't be able to beat me up forever, dumbasses! I'll make my own team and I'll listen to _anyone_ that needs me, not just the ones I think are cool! You all are pathetic excuses of 'Mon!"

He went to reclaim his notebook with a shaking hand, and thankfully, the contents were intact even if mussed up from being snatched and thrown around. Rush let out a heavy, tired sigh, slumping back down against the tree trunk.

* * *

"All the damn time," the Coalition lead said, rolling his eyes and punching at the air again. "We got into a _lot_ of fights, ehehe. I basically went back home to Ma and Pa with a new set of scratches or bruises every day."

Astrid stayed a bit fluffed out at the idea, and Arashi's eyes were held slightly wide.

"… Oh, _wow,_" the Frogadier mused. "That… That must've sucked!"

"… Sheesh," Raijin was in agreement. "No one did anything about it?"

The Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Everyone told me that's how it is. But I mean, even if li'l Scraggies are a bunch of li'l shits to each other, everyone else had camaraderie, but when it came to me, it was every 'Mon for themselves."

A certain red-cheeked Blissey, though, skittered over and spun around, throwing her hands out to the side. "See~?! This is why the world needs more _love~!_"

Rush snickered at her, shooting her an amused look of agreement. "Ama, I bet _you_ could've set those bastards straight! If we ever run across Dialga or Celebi and go back in time, I wanna see you giving all those other li'l Scraggies your love talk!"

Both he and the lead sweetheart giggled, but Adnea rolled her eyes and chimed in, "That is a _foolish_ idea. Messing with the happenings of the past in any regard is a messy slope to navigate, and you very well could cause the downfall of the universe by changing only a single detail. _You should know better._"

The Scrafty, however, brushed it off, snickering again. "No worries, Adnea! I wasn't serious!"

"_Good,_" the researcher flatly declared before taking another sip from her levitating glass.

"Anyways," Rush went back to his tale, "y'know where ya go when you're sick of basically everyone in your neck of the woods?"

"Where?!" Arashi eagerly wanted to know.

The Scrafty got a wild-eyes smirk, his eyes practically glinting. "_Dungeons_, Li'l Blue!"

* * *

**Dim Quarry 1F**

If there were cozy surroundings… then the dungeon wasn't it. Every surface was hard and cold to the touch, made up of slick, damp, dreary grey-colored limestone that made every sound echo through the tunnels. Stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites rising from the ground almost looked like fangs, especially when they surrounded the top and bottom of a corridor's opening. Occasionally the ground and walls would shake, but with the dungeon-dwellers there, that was to be expected. A lone Scraggy trekked through, a small sack over one shoulder and slightly worn notebook tucked under one arm.

"Diglett, Nosepass, Aron, and-…" Rush mused to himself.

_Rrrrrrrumble!_

The ground started quaking again, and one side of the room he traversed started to rattle far more than the surroundings. He smirked a bit, darting further back and laying his belongings down behind a stalagmite before rustling through his sack a bit.

"… Onix!"

Sure enough, the ground burst open and out came a rocky serpentine form, _very_ easily dwarfing the Scraggy. The thing almost reached the ceiling, and only didn't accidentally bump the top with its head because of the twists it made with its long form. Rush himself was hardly even the size of one of its rocks, but he still locked his eyes on it without a shred of hesitance. At first the dungeon-dweller didn't seem to notice outside company, looking about as if to inspect its new surroundings for a moment, but soon it locked its eyes on the lone adventurer on the other side of the room.

Rush snickered, clutching a gravelerock in one hand, while the Onix opened its mouth with a bluish cloud of sparking smoke forming in it.

"Let's go!" the Scraggy cheekily taunted, drawing his rock-toting hand back.

As it breathed down a Dragon Breath, Rush flung his stone at its face, not intending to do much damage but making it flinch and growl in discomfort when its eye was pegged. Rush didn't waste a second, darting up to its rocky belly dragging the floor and delivering a swift Low Kick into it. A few small cracks ran out from the impact, and the Onix definitely took note when it went toppling over with a gravelly growl, but it still had enough energy to bust a few stalactites down with its tail and fling them at the outsider. Rush jumped back, ducking down to let one of the stony spikes fly over his head, but braced himself to take one that was sideways without a pointed edge aimed straight for his face. The force smashed him into the wall, and while being forcefully sandwiched between a detached stalactite and hard limestone wasn't pleasant, he smirked a bit when his fist became shrouded in darkness to exact his Payback on the dungeon-dweller. The Onix might've been thrashing its tail against the wall to make a Rock Slide come crashing down on Rush, but Rush darted up to it again and smashed his fist into another rocky segment. Cracks shot up and down the wild one's body, probably an extremely unpleasant sensation for a Rock-type, and the ground rumbled yet again when the entire serpentine form clattered unconscious onto the floor.

"… Ehehe," Rush giggled, striding straight up to the Onix's expressionless face and smirking at it. "I know, I know- the others that look like me always come in groups of at least three! Ya probably thought I'd be easy to pick off, but when you go solo, you gotta hold your own!"

Still, when he went and picked up his notebook next, he went turning to a page labelled 'Dim Quarry' and quickly scrawled down 'Dragon Breath' underneath 'Onix.'

* * *

"Y'know, maybe ya don't know what the hell dungeon-dwellers are saying and maybe they're pretty much always hostile, but they're dungeon-dwellers and they can't help bein' how they are," Rush remarked with a laugh, starting to slur his words together a little. "I'd take them over us other 'Mon actin' like asshats any day, if ya know what I mean!"

It made sense, Astrid figured- the Pokémon in dungeons didn't particularly know better than to attack anything they didn't like, while the ones in Rugged Slope that Rush described sounded like they _did_ know better and blatantly chose not to act like such. If given the choice, she would've picked the dungeon-dwellers too.

"… You must've gotten pretty strong, then!" Arashi noted. "If you spent most of your time in dungeons, I mean! I bet you won a lot of battles!"

Rush snickered again, sticking his hands behind his head. "Oh, I had my fair share, Li'l Blue," he answered. "I _was_ the only one my age that could down an Onix all by myself, ehehe! I _did_ get fucked up by the wild ones plenty at first though, since I was just one li'l-ass Scraggy alone, but I made sure to keep track of everything they could throw at me so I could be prepared."

* * *

"_Ngaaah_… Damn…"

The Scraggy's eyes fluttered open and stared up at the blue sky overhead- certainly _not _the dreary stone walls of the quarry. The ground wasn't as hard either, but rather grassy and soft to the touch, and a quick glance to one side showed the entrance to Dim Quarry sitting nestled between two grassier cliffs.

The last thing he remembered seeing was a Diglett switching between several different burrows in the ground before feeling something sharp across his back once it disappeared again… surely a Slash, even if nothing about a Diglett seemed sharp enough to do such.

"Do they got claws under the ground or some shit…?" he mused tiredly, shaking his head and flexing his fingers a bit. "Gotta record that… The others ain't used nothin' but Dig…"

He looked to the other side, expecting to see his notebook sprawled out, and he _did_ see it, but not where he wanted it to be.

"Yo! You finally awake, Rush?!"

His eyes instantly narrowed at Swaggy's voice, and his expression got even more peeved when he saw his notebook in a snickering Nifty's hands. Three other Scraggies huddled behind her, all of them scrutinizing his pages with amusement in their eyes. Swaggy swaggered closer to Rush while he picked himself up off of the ground, still feeling a bit tired but ignoring the aches of his body for the frustration he felt.

"The fuck you guys want?!" Rush fussed, snarling at them.

"To know what the hell you were up to!" Nifty chimed in, looking up from the pages. "You're still writing this shit down?! You were fainted out here; there ain't a damn reason for you to be thinking about expeditions when you ain't got no one to go with!"

"_Fuck you_, Nifty!" Rush shot back, looking like he was going to stride closer to her for a moment.

However, he was interrupted when he felt Swaggy's grip on the back of his neck, and quickly he was whirling around and slamming his head into the other Scraggy's. Swaggy stumbled a bit but balled one dark-shrouded fist up, which Rush ducked underneath while dropping down closer to the ground and Low Kicking his target. Shortly, Rush's book was on the ground and looking less-than-stellar again when Nifty dropped it and both she and the tagalongs were darting over, three sets of feet trampling over it. Rush swung a fist at Swaggy while the both of them were down, but when Nifty wrenched him up, he swung at her too while one of the followers kicked at him in turn. The six Scraggies practically turned into a blob of swinging fists, thrashing feet, and butting heads, the occasional drop of blood or pained yelp leaving the fray.

"Fuck all of you, too!" Rush hollered, striking at whoever he could reach. "_Ngah-!_"

The ones he hit had things to say themselves too.

"_Fuck!_"

"_Ow!_"

"Bastard!"

While there was more than one bloody nose or lumped head to go around, and though Rush's blows definitely hit harder than the other five, the simple number he was up against overwhelmed him. His assailants were definitely banged up, but just as he had been not long prior, his vision started blurring over and his senses started fading. They finally backed off once his movements slowed to a halt, the lone fussing Scraggy left in a pained slump on the ground.

"Freak!" one of the tagalongs hissed, wiping blood from her face. "Useless fucking freak! Get a life!"

"What kind of asshat _does_ that?! No wonder you think you belong in the dungeons!" another concurred, clutching the side of his head.

"C'mon, guys," Swaggy said, motioning the rest along. "Let's leave the asshat that no one wants to his asshat business. Fuck you, Rush!"

Only a pained, faint snarl of rage was the answer as the troupe of Scraggies trailed off elsewhere away from the dungeon. "_Just you wait…!_"

* * *

As Rush relayed the happening, he was up and jumping around, wildly imitating whatever moves he might have been making with very haphazard motions. Lazuli, Yunael, and Dren were giggling at the sight, the latter occasionally reaching out with his tail to keep the Scrafty from faceplanting into the floor when he tried to mime a Headbutt or another attack. It was like watching a Magikarp trying to climb a tree- the _attempt_ was there, but the action at hand simply wasn't happening in any graceful manner (if slamming fists into someone's face qualified as 'graceful,' at least).

"Say what ya will, I might've lost, but it took five of those bitches to fuck _me_ up when it only took _one_ of me to fuck _them_ up! Ehehehe!" Rush laughed, plopping back down in his chair.

That much was true, no one was denying.

"Oh, that's my worst nightmare- a _group_ of Pokémon punching and kicking at me!" Ama cried in a hapless voice. "Ah, even if I've already heard about your escapades, it still makes me feel _not_ blissful!"

Rush laughed. "Oh, hell, Ama, just imagine it was five of Raijin instead- no physical moves involved," he jested. "But I definitely could've used your team, ehehe! Chira's grooming and Jingle's cuddles would've felt _great_ at the time!"

The Blissey clapped her hands together, jumping in place for just a bit before she too started looking unsteady. Jingle certainly looked happy at the idea of cuddling a little unevolved form, and Chira's scarves flicked. Astrid and Arashi, though, couldn't help but give each other funny looks at the idea of _five_ hostile Xurkitrees being a welcome sight to anyone, but with the ease Ama had been brushing off their Beast comrade while barely hanging on from Rush's attacks, perhaps it was possible.

Rush rolled his eyes again, balling his fists up and pounding them together for a moment. "But at the rate I was going, it looked like I'd be the first one out of that li'l Scraggy bunch to evolve," he noted, rolling his eyes. "And y'know, I thought that eventually I'd win my respect and they'd back off… but y'all probably know, there ain't no winnin' respect from folks that have decided you're worthless. So if I evolved before everyone else, well, _they couldn't have that_, now could they?! Hell nah, that'd make 'em look bad! So the other li'l pipsqueaks in Rugged Slope started getting together to go explore dungeons a lot more often, Nifty and Swaggy would follow my ass around and try to gang up on me whenever we found each other in one, and folks were just generally a bunch of asshats callin' me a bunch of names. I trekked off to an evolution spot all on my own, and when I came back as a Scrafty, it only pissed 'em off more. Nifty and Swaggy and a fucking gaggle of other li'l pipsqueaks made their ventures for the same reason, and that's what made me realize that nothin' would ever change. Ya play stupid games, ya get stupid prizes, and my stupid prize was seein' that nothin' I'd ever do would make those 'Mon see me any different. I was always gonna be a useless waste of breath that they only liked when they were beatin' up. So y'know what I did?!"

His eyes practically glittered with naughty mischief.

Arashi was enamored. "What?! What'd you do?!" he asked excitedly.

Rush snickered, smirking as wide as he could. "_I stopped givin' a damn, Li'l Blue._"

* * *

The Bluk tree was as nice of a shade as it always was, the lone Scrafty giving the trunk a soft punch to shake a berry loose that he then munched on. The pages to his notebook were starting to fill out such that making new notes was becoming impossible, for almost every single one was taken up with scribblings and scrawlings. 'Rugged Slope' was jotted down in the middle of one page with a haphazard drawing of a cliff denoting it, 'Dim Quarry' was a cave labelled to the west, 'Hazy Path' was a forested crevice, and some others too were jotted down. Each dungeon had its own set of pages, complete with notes about the number of floors, terrain, potential hazards, items that could be found naturally, and of course, the inhabitants. If anyone wanted to expedition in the area, the notebook could certainly function well as a guide, even if it was worn and beat-up.

On a few, though, were some other drawings. In one, a small-crested Scrafty beat the everloving daylights out of two much larger-crested ones, complete with scribbled pools of blood and teeth hanging out of their skulls. On another, two larger-crested Scrafties had their crests drawn so comically huge that it caused them to tip over and their heads to smash into the ground, while a smaller-crested one pointed and laughed in the background. The next page, two larger-crested ones had a flock of wild Pidgeys building a nest on their heads, while a smaller-crested one casually strolled by. Rush quite liked those drawings, even as otherwise useless as they may have been.

Still, he was perfectly content to perch under the tree with no company while the happy-go-lucky voices of others in the distance made it obvious that plenty of other Scrafties and Scraggies were out having fun with each other. He didn't care. _He_ could never have fun with _them_, that was for sure.

So when he heard two sets of footsteps behind him and saw a hand reach over his shoulder to snatch his book up…

"_What?_" he asked flatly, grip tightening on the hapless set of pages so they couldn't be snatched up.

Apparently it was Nifty doing the grabbing, for Swaggy darted around from behind the tree with a cheeky grin. Nifty tugged, but Rush's grip tightened to keep her from being successful, and she gave up before darting around too.

"Oh, come on, you're _still_ doing this stuff?" Swaggy mocked. "That's a whole lot o' work for nothin'!"

"Say what you wanna say, Swaggy," Rush brushed him off, shutting the notebook and setting it down next to the tree trunk.

Nifty snickered. "Oh, come on! What's with that attitude?! Don't be so glum!"

Rush didn't say anything; only chuckled to himself while looking straight at them with narrowed eyes. Apparently, Swaggy didn't take kindly to that, for his eyes narrowed too and he strode closer to Rush, who didn't react much.

"Ya _laughin'_ at us?!" the larger-crested Scrafty protested.

Rush smirked. "_I sure am, Swaggy.~_"

At that, Swaggy reached down to grab him, but Rush was on the same train of thought and jumped up, grabbing Swaggy's arm and drawing one fist back. Given their previous interactions, the ringleaders were probably expecting such, but from their surprised faces, the sudden shift in demeanor from restlessly protesting to amusedly apathetic caught them off guard.

… They didn't have much time to be surprised, however.

* * *

Astrid and Arashi had an idea of what was coming, and from the way Rush's fists were bumping each other in quick succession, it was likely… ugly.

Rush's eyes turned wild and he looked straight at them, smirking with such wild mischief that it was almost malevolent. "And that, my dudes, is about the time I _lost. My. Shit._"

* * *

If it wasn't pure viciousness in Rush's eyes, then they didn't know _what_ it was.

"NGAAAAAAAAAH!"

_Crack!_

Swaggy couldn't even vocalize the hit he'd taken after Rush pounded his fist into his face, a much easier act from the way the larger-crested Scrafty was held in place by one arm. It looked as though Swaggy's eyes would roll back in his head for a moment, but he regained his composure, albeit rather pained, and shakily drew his own fist back too.

"Swaggy!" Nifty hollered, darting over with her own fist balled up.

Rush ducked down under Swaggy's Payback, then jumped over Nifty's Low Kick while aiming two more Brick Breaks at both of their faces. An energy shield Protected Nifty, but Swaggy jerked aside before grabbing Rush's fist and yanking him closer. A loud thud resulted when Swaggy Headbutted their lone target, and as soon as Nifty's shield faded, she was slamming Rush too with a Façade, even if it did put her in a perfect position to get a Throat Chop to her neck.

"I'm done with you all," Rush snarled, jumping back from the ringleaders.

"Oh, that's cute," Nifty mocked flatly, voice hoarse for a moment.

"Like it matters," Swaggy shot back.

It was Nifty that ran at him again, and even with her fist swinging, Rush grabbed her by the hood around her neck and slammed her in the face with a Brick Break too. Only a faint gasping sound came out of her, and much like Swaggy, she too haplessly stumbled back with a temporarily blank expression. Of course Swaggy wasn't going to waste time, for in moments he was spitting a suspicious purple fluid onto one fist and swinging it at Rush, poison getting flung about as he did. Rush braced himself and took the hit, not bothering at all to brush off the acidic ooze, but even if the sensation of poison seeping through his skin was unpleasant, he smirked and snickered.

"Nice job, jackass," he taunted.

At first, it appeared Swaggy took it as a sarcastic compliment, but the next moment, he knew that was _not_ the case when Rush's Façade hit at twice the power it usually would due to his bad status condition. That time, Swaggy's eyes really _did_ go rolling back in his head as he went limp, another unsettling cracking sound filling the air as Rush slammed the side of his head with enough force to throw him clear across the ground several meters and leave a trail in the dirt where Swaggy went skidding. Nifty would've swung next, but Rush was darting over and pouncing on the limp Swaggy, grabbing him by the hood and pounding his face with his fist over and over again.

"Fuck you, fuck you, _fuck you!_" Rush snarled.

Swaggy wasn't even responding, his body only twitching from the force of the punches he kept receiving. Blood trickled out of his mouth and nose, but whether Rush was too entranced to notice or just didn't care was impossible to tell.

"_No!_" Nifty shouted, darting over too. "Cut it out, freak! What the fuck is your deal?!"

She reached out to pry Rush off, but Rush whirled around to hit her with a Façade too. She Protected herself just in time, but her countenance was quickly getting more uncertain at the sight of Rush's wild eyes and bloodied fists. The moment it faded, she went for a Low Kick, but Rush jumped over her and knocked her across the grass too when she tried to scramble back to her feet.

"You can go to hell too, bitch," Rush snarled, albeit sounding fairly tired. "Fuck you!"

Swaggy still wasn't moving, and Nifty limply twitched a few times as well when Rush gave her some more punches for good measure until blood dripped from her mouth and nose just the same. The two of them weren't going to wake up any time soon, _that _was for sure, and Rush was certainly happy for such. He turned away, running back under the tree to snatch up his notebook which he tucked into his own hood. It was only just beginning, but he could feel the poison starting to spread, and he moved as fast as he could as he ran away towards Rugged Slope's inner boundary connected to the rest of the mountainside.

"Hopefully that'll leave you a nice reminder of me," he snarled under his breath. "I'm leavin' this hellhole and I'll go stay with the fuckin' dungeon-dwellers if I have to. Fuck the entire lot of you."

His feet moved as fast as he could make them, but with the damage he'd already taken and the poison's effects becoming more pronounced, his steps started to teeter. He ignored it as best he could.

"What the fuck?!" came another voice from further behind him.

The rest of the exclamations were something he didn't pay much attention to, but from what he did hear, another bunch had picked up on the fact that his scuffle with the ringleaders hadn't been a normal one. Some yelps of dismay and shock filled the air as the others in the village realized what had befallen Nifty and Swaggy.

"Someone go get some Oran berries!"

"Forget Oran berries, we need a damned cleric! Does anyone know where a Chansey or an Audino or someone like that lives?!"

"Did that bastard _seriously_ do this?!"

Rush snickered. He kept running, haphazardly ducking over or between any boulders or bushes that got in his way.

"C'mon, Rush…" he said to himself under his breath. "Hazy Path has some Pecha berries… You can make it and you'll be fine…!"

At least, he sure _hoped _he could make it. The poison had given him the boost he'd wanted to smash Nifty and Swaggy's faces in, but trying to ditch a town whose occupants would likely be angry and ready to exchange blows in return wasn't exactly the best of situations to have something gnawing at his remaining shred of health. His steps became more uneven and heavy as the town started to become small on the horizon, and try as he might to ignore it, it was all but impossible to do so. A grove of trees could be seen in the distance, and deeper within them was the place he wanted to reach…

"Fuck…" he panted, tripping over a stray stone.

With quite a bit of effort, he picked himself back up, for everything felt heavy and the area the poison had seeped in stung like an angry Beedrill.

"C'mon, Rush… You can make it… Don't let those asshats catch you; you're dead to them now…"

By no will of his own, his eyelids started to flutter shut. He tried to hold them open, but it was a struggle to do even that. His feet started dragging the ground, making running quite a difficult task. It wasn't _too_ far; surely, holding out just a little more wasn't impossible…

"C'mon…" he gasped, stumbling.

He tripped again, sprawling out on the ground haplessly. Try as he might to pick himself up and keep going, his body wasn't listening.

"Fuck…" he breathed shallowly, vision blurring over.

Not a single muscle would move. He tried to hold his eyes open, but his eyelids were just too heavy and drifted shut as his consciousness faded.

* * *

Astrid and Arashi had wide eyes, and Raijin seemed fairly concerned too.

"But… you won, didn't you?" Arashi asked uncertainly. "Did you get caught?!"

Raijin's fingers tapped together. "I-I'm only curious… Did… You didn't kill those two, did you…?" his voice inquisitively trailed off. "That sounds… ugly. _Really_ ugly."

"Hell no, I didn't get caught, and _hell no_, I didn't kill anyone… even if it _was_ tempting," Rush answered, smirking and rolling his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I hated- and still _do_ hate, ehehe!- those two, but killin' 'em wouldn't have solved any of my problems. Besides, just lettin' 'em stew in their own suckiness stings a _hell_ of a lot more."

Team Sweetheart all looked a bit perturbed at the mention of hate, but not a single one of them said anything. Ama only let out a pitying whimper, her eyes drooping a bit while she still smiled. Astrid, though, easily agreed that Rush was right- as much as beating up the ringleaders so badly would've garnered hostility from the Rugged Slope occupants, being the direct cause of their demise probably would've carried a fairly heavy stigma regardless of the context to _anyone_ who simply heard 'Rush killed two Pokémon.' Besides, letting them live with the knowledge that someone they deemed a worthless waste of time bested them _had_ to sting, just like Rush said.

"Well, what _happened?!_" Arashi wanted to know, leaning forward a bit with an intent look in his eyes. "Did you actually go live in the dungeons?!"

"_Hell_ no!" Rush laughed, making a haphazard waving motion with one hand. "I made a friend! A mellow, fluffy, pink and white feeler-eared friend, _that's_ what!"

The Scrafty's gaze fell on Rozen, who chuckled a bit at the description. "And what an experience it was, too," the Audino remarked, amusedly shaking his head. "I truly wasn't sure what to make of you."

"Well, I didn't know what to make of _you_, either!" Rush exclaimed, getting a funny-eyed grin. "If you're on the run, ain't got any friends, convinced you're probably gonna wake up getting thrashed to hell, and then ya wake up in some town you've never been to before in a stranger's house, well… Hell nah! You'd freak the hell out too!"

Rozen only chuckled some more. "Oh, friend, I don't doubt that, but I had no idea that was the case at the time!"

"Pfffft!" Rush playfully scoffed. "You're just too damned nice!"

The Audino shot him a playful smirk as well. "Yes, and that is why we're partners, you foul-mouthed degenerate!"

The Coalition lead cackled, jumping out of his chair and darting over to Rozen before throwing his arms around the pink and fluffy feeler-eared one. "Isn't he the best?!" Rush cried, winking at the rest of his company. "I love this bastard!"

Rozen haplessly rolled his eyes while smiling, sticking one arm around the Scrafty too.

Adnea, though, chimed back in with her usual flat tone. "Tell them what happened, you oaf," she said rather pointedly. "Your aquatic fanboy's heart is about to beat out of his chest, and none of us want to deal with that mess."

At the mention, Arashi blushed a bright red and Astrid tried to sink back into her feathers again, if only to keep her partner from seeing the amusement on her face at Adnea's call-out. Her beak trembled and she tried not to giggle, making hapless little gasping sounds that she tried her hardest to muffle. Of course, Raijin didn't have a mouth with which to laugh, but the brief buzzing sound that came from him and quickly cut off indicated that he was in largely the same position as the Dartrix too.

Nonetheless, Rush turned loose of his partner and flopped back into his chair, crossing his arms and snickering to himself. "A'ight, a'ight," he brushed off the Orbeetle. "Let me tell ya.~"

* * *

_**Author's note**__: Ama and Rush's song is sung to the chorus of Red Velvet's "Russian Roulette." A friend of mine sent me her (_very_ extensive, I may note) list of cutesy songs for spoofing purposes, for which I am rather grateful, ehehe. Shout-out to you, Mireirei, if you ever see this._

_I do hope the loads of flashback scene changes weren't too hard to follow; I tried to delineate them as best I could to make the sequence obvious. If there's a better way, do let me know._

_And lastly, for those who celebrate it, happy Hanukkah._


	39. Chapter 39: A Semblance of Normalcy

Even if it felt nice, something didn't feel… quite _right_.

Rush's eyes shot open the second he had the agency to move his eyelids again, and instantly he could tell he wasn't where he had been aiming for. He was still sprawled on the floor, but instead of grassy dirt, it was something soft and fuzzy. It wasn't a room indicative of any house on Rugged Slope either, so _that _wasn't where he was… but whoever the pale green walls and gentle off-white ceiling belonged to, he had no idea. Whoever had placed the warm yellow blanket underneath him, he had no idea, and whoever's faint humming it was he heard in another room through a small hallway, he had no idea.

Whatever damage he had taken, and whatever poison had seeped into him, he didn't feel it. He felt perfectly rejuvenated, like nothing had ever been wrong. A very pleasant smell wafted through the air, easily the most attractive scent he'd ever stumbled upon, and he wondered what it was… but much more so, he wanted to know where he was and who had put him there.

Wherever this place was, it was cozy- a little sofa in the corner seemed to be made out of Wooloo wool and Altaria fluff, and pleasant paintings of lovely canyons and beautiful beaches decorated the walls. Out of a window in the room's back, there appeared to be a garden with several small berry bushes, a larger chestnut tree, and one lone pot of red and yellow posies that looked rather well cared for. Rush considered jumping out of it for it a moment, but no, the wooden slats were too close together for that to be an easy feat. Very carefully, trying not to make a sound, he picked himself up off of the blanket and crept over to the hallway, ducking out of sight as best he could.

"Ho-hum… hm hm hmmmm…~"

The source of the humming quickly became apparent when he peeked out and saw another figure, an Audino, slicing up a Figy berry that he then scraped into a simmering pot on a stove in a tiny kitchen on the other side of the little cottage. Clearly, it wasn't a big house, for besides the room Rush found himself in, the kitchen, and the parlor between the two rooms, there hardly appeared to be anything else save for the garden out the back door. Rush considered making a mad dash for the back door too, but as soon as the thought crossed his head, the Audino turned in his direction, reaching for some utensil hanging on the wall or so it seemed, and Rush ducked back out of sight.

"… Hm?"

It was easy to tell from the sound that it was an inquisitive 'hm,' and not a humming one. Rush cursed a bit under his breath, instinctively balling one fist up. Some pitter-pattering footsteps grew closer, and moments later, the fluffy pink figure traipsed into the room with curiously concerned eyes as he studied the empty blanket lying on the floor. Rush stayed pressed against the wall, completely unsure of what to do, but when the Audino turned around and gave a startled jolt upon seeing him, the Scrafty drew his fist back.

"_Wha-!_"

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The Audino scurried back, wide-eyed and throwing up a Reflect, and while Rush didn't attack, he certainly looked like he was ready to. The Scrafty knew that a single Brick Break would be enough to shatter any screen that could possibly come into play, but he hesitated to use it. Maybe it was the coziness of the surroundings or the genuine fright in the Audino's eyes, but something told him that there was no need to start swinging at the other figure.

"… Rozen," the Audino answered meekly, still backing away with careful, small steps. "And you?"

Rush's scrutinized the one in front of him, but he still replied, "… Rush."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're awake, Rush," Rozen said, nonchalant but with a hint of hesitance. "Something terrible must've happened to put you in a state like this. Don't fret, I mean no harm, but I am curious as to why you're making threatening gestures like that."

The Scrafty started to ease up a bit simply at the words leaving Rozen's mouth, but he still kept one fist curled up. "… Tell me what you know."

Rozen tilted his head to the side. "About what?"

"… Rugged Slope," Rush answered, still eyeing him. "Does the name 'Swaggy' or 'Nifty' mean anything to you?"

"No, should they?"

Rush eased up some more, but not quite all the way. He let out a heavy sigh. "… I guess not. You ain't part of the Scraggy line and you ain't from there."

The Audino chuckled. "Well, that _is_ obvious," he remarked with a smile. "Say, Rush, can you unfurl that fist? I healed you, and you're acting like you want to use me as a punching bag. I assure you, it isn't necessary."

Rush thought for a moment, not really wanting to, but the way the feeler-eared figure in front of him was acting so gentle and nonchalant was catching him completely off-guard. There was no aggression, no malevolent mischief, no flippancy… nothing. He had no idea what to take Rozen for, but if there was a reason for attacking, it wasn't presenting itself.

… Rush's fist unfurled, albeit still while he wore a pointedly uncertain expression. "You… You did _what?_"

"Oh, I'm sure you heard me fine," Rozen chuckled, his Reflect fading. "I was out to run an errand or two and I saw you limp in the middle of the grass. You looked rather beat up and I was concerned, so I took you back here, to my house in Green Overpass, just to be sure the surroundings were safe. Besides, I had passed a group of Scrafties and Scraggies giving a profanity-laced rant about something awful that happened back at Rugged Slope, so I figured it probably wasn't safe for you to return there anyhow, assuming that _is_ where you live."

Everything leaving the Audino's mouth may as well have been gibberish, for Rush wasn't making sense of _any_ of it. He blinked a few times in utter stupor. "So you're tellin' me… You _healed_ me? And you were _worried _about me?"

Rozen giggled, giving him a funny look. "Yes and yes," was the easy answer. "Was that a mistake? Should I not have interfered?"

Again Rush blinked, for truly, he had no idea what to say.

"… Oh, never mind," the Audino nonchalantly brushed it off, taking a few steps closer. "I've been preparing a pot of stew; perhaps you'd rather have lunch first? Besides, I was attempting to mend that book you were carrying while I've been cooking- the cover was about to fall off and lots of pages were barely hanging on. It looked fairly important and I didn't want you to lose it."

Still more blinking.

Rozen playfully rolled his eyes, taking a few more steps closer. "Now, I'm no mind-reader, so I'm not sure what that silence is supposed to mean," he chuckled. He reached one hand out to grab Rush's. "Come on, let's-"

And all at once, Rozen was pulling back and putting up another Reflect when Rush instinctively balled his fist up again and drew it back, but at the same time, the Audino's concerned countenance made him pause.

Rozen shrank up a bit, eyeing the Scrafty in caution again. "Dear, are you alright? What's made you so jumpy?"

And again, Rush was standing down. "… You're not tryin' to beat me up when ya reach like that, are ya?" he asked uncertainly, eyes narrowed but voice sounding almost hesitant. "… I can't tell what it means comin' from you."

The Audino seemed to pick up on something as soon as the words left. "Oh, dear, no," he quickly replied, countenance flickering as his Reflect dropped. Still, with a hapless chuckle, he added, "The only Pokémon I could beat up are extremely small children, but it takes a special sort of evil to do that and as far as I know, I'm not pure evil."

It was Rush's turn to get a funny look. "A'ight, what the hell kind of game are ya playin'?" he exclaimed, unable to keep his confused frustration back. "I've been getting my ass kicked for as long as I can remember! And you're actin' all nice and sweet and cute and shit, and…! Just what the fuck is goin' on here?! You ain't _actually_ tellin' me you're all concerned for my well-being, are you?!"

Rozen took his turn blinking as well, before his smile spread and he went chuckling again. "Oh my, that explains _quite_ a lot," he noted nonchalantly, coming closer again. "That _is_ what I'm telling you, Rush. You've got nothing to worry about."

Back to blinking Rush went, but rather than grabbing the Scrafty's hand again, Rozen merely motioned him along as he strode out of the room. Rush followed, albeit while still keeping his guard up.

"A'ight, Pinky, then I gotta tell ya something," Rush said, eyeing the Audino.

Rozen paused in the middle of the parlor, still smiling. "What is it?"

"Put another Reflect up, will ya?"

Rozen did so. It wasn't a serious attack by any means, but the way the shield shattered when Rush hit it with a Brick Break got the point across fine. The pink and fluffy one still looked friendly and warm, but he too eyed his company in turn.

Rush relaxed his fist again. "… Now ya know. I got an attack that gets rid of screens. That's just to say… I could still beat the everlovin' hell out of you if you try anything. I… I don't really want to, though. _I'm just sayin'._"

Rozen softened up again, not bothered still. "Well, I appreciate the honesty," he acknowledged, then getting a bit of a smirk himself, "But what was it you called me? 'Pinky?' I do believe I said my name was Rozen and not Pinky, but I'm glad to see I have nothing to worry about regarding your ability to perceive colors."

With another giggle, Rozen was strolling into the kitchen, and Rush was blinking again for a second before darting after him. He still wasn't sure what to make of the Audino, but… he wanted to stick close.

Sure enough, his notebook was sitting on the kitchen table, the pages as frayed as they'd ever been, but a few rips and tears had been taped back together and an obviously new thread run through the bindings to make them more secure. Instantly Rush ran over to it, swooping it up and flipping through to make sure everything was there. All of it was intact, which he was relieved to see after having it grabbed and snatched so many times.

"What is that, might I ask?" Rozen piped up, retrieving two bowls out of a cabinet. "I didn't go snooping through your documents, but I noticed maps of the area and dungeon names. Are you an expeditioner, by chance?"

"… Well, I guess technically," Rush replied, studying the fixings Rozen had put on it. "I… spend a lot of time in dungeons. Those dungeon-dwellers are the most vicious wild 'Mon out there, and ya gotta be ready for 'em when ya walk into their territory."

"Oh? You don't have a team?" Rozen inquired next, looking fairly surprised as he retrieved a ladle from a hook on the wall. "I would've sworn you did from seeing it."

A sardonic laugh of disbelief escaped the Scrafty's mouth as he stowed the book in his hood. "Heh! A _team!_ Oh, that's _real _funny!"

Again Rozen looked surprised, narrowing his eyes in playful inquisition as he dipped out two delicious-smelling bowls. "And why is that?"

Rush rolled his eyes. "Pffft, Rozen, that's a story ya might not wanna hear."

"But I do," was the easy response as the Audino traipsed over to the table and set the bowls down. "And I've got plenty of time if that's your concern. You've got me rather curious."

"Well, yeah, but… That ain't really what I meant," Rush's voice trailed off, a slightly awkward look crossing his face.

"Oh?" Rozen inquired as he fetched two spoons from a drawer. "Do you mean it's… unpleasant?"

A little laugh followed. "… Ya might call it that."

Rozen chuckled, traipsing back to the table and placing the spoons in the bowls. "Don't worry. I'm a healer, after all- that entails dealing with unpleasant things." He sat down and motioned for Rush to do the same. "Sit down. Eat something."

As if being pushed by some mystical, untouchable power, Rush did so, and dutifully took a spoonful. Immediately, his face lit up. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, eyes going huge. "Rozen! This is _amazing!_"

The Audino chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you think so.~ Now tell me, just what has befallen you?"

Yet again, Rush did as the feeler-eared one asked, all while happily downing every last bit of stew he could get (the eagerness with which he did so leaving Rozen rather amused). Oddly enough, the Audino seemed rather engrossed in his tale, eyes practically staring straight through him as he related it. The genuine concern in Rozen's countenance was still something Rush couldn't place, but the encouraging interjections of 'Yes, tell me' and 'Oh my, is that so?' goaded him on for quite some time.

* * *

Rozen chuckled, finishing off his own mug. "I can confidently say, of all the Pokémon I had healed before that point, none had a reaction like that," he jested. "Most of the time it was a soft 'Where am I?' or them asking if everything was alright, not… whatever _that_ was. But, then again, I had never met someone like Rush before, either."

The Scrafty snickered. "Of course not! There's only one Rush! And I'd _sure_ never met someone like Rozen!"

The both of them were laughing shortly.

Astrid couldn't help but haplessly relate- her own meetings with her comrades had likewise involved a great deal of hesitance and disbelief, albeit for completely different reasons. That seemed ironically fitting- the best friendships were apparently formed from terrible things happening.

Still, both she and her comrades were definitely paying attention.

* * *

Rozen was both fascinated and concerned as the Scrafty carried on, and by the time he was done telling his entire tale, from the baggier Scraggies mocking his existence to him beating the daylights out of the ringleaders, the Audino's eyes were wide open. The pot of stew was gone, too- apparently Rush had no issue gulping down Rozen's delicious cooking, and Rozen himself didn't mind.

"… So that's what it's like," Rush remarked, sticking his arms behind his head and rolling his eyes. "Tell me somethin', Rozen- you're lookin' all freaked out over there. You think I'm a fuckin' degenerate?"

Rozen shook his head. "I don't," he gently answered. "Truly, I don't- your reaction is understandable."

Rush looked a bit surprised. "_Really…?_"

"Really, dear. And I can't possibly let you return out into the world alone in a situation like _that_. I'd feel absolutely awful."

The Scrafty gave him a funny look, not sure at all of what he meant. "The hell's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Rozen chuckled. "That means you're staying with me," he replied. "When your only other options are between the dungeons or Rugged Slope, the latter of which holds all of your enemies, I couldn't possibly turn you loose so soon. I _suppose_ you could also run to a distant town if you were inclined… but who wants to do that when that's avoidable?"

More funny looks followed, all while Rush was utterly silent.

Rozen smiled, a slightly funny look on his face too. "Look, we've already established something. I healed you, so if I had any intentions of hurting you, I would've done so while you were fainted. My only methods of defending myself are Reflect and Light Screen, both of which you can break. You've got nothing to be afraid of."

Rush considered it, softening up again. Type advantages were in his favor, to be sure, and if Rozen wasn't carrying any damaging attacks like he seemed to imply, then indeed, the Audino himself posed no threat. Still, as hesitant as the Scrafty was to believe Rozen, the feeler-eared one was blatantly different than anyone he'd interacted with in Rugged Slope, and that couldn't be ignored.

"I won't force you- I _can't_, after all- but I think this is the better option," the Audino gently said. "Constantly being alone, literally or figuratively, must be tiring."

Rush sighed, his gaze travelling off to the side. "… You ain't wrong."

Another chuckle from the Audino followed. "Then _that's_ settled," he amiably declared. He got a more inquisitive look on his face moments later, following Rush's aimless gaze with his own eyes. "But… if you were seriously considering taking to the dungeons… you must be very strong."

"Pffft," Rush scoffed. "I _have_ to be. Ya get your ass kicked as much as me and ya gotta learn to hold your own even if there ain't anyone to help ya. The dungeons ain't any different than what I'm used to- ya can't trust any of the 'Mon in there and ya wind up exchanging blows pretty damn quick. It ain't nothin'."

"I suppose I could see how that would be the case," Rozen softly mused. "That's certainly something I could never do alone. I'm _terrible_ at battling."

At that, it was Rush's turn to perk up. "Then how the hell have ya ever gotten through life, huh? I mean, there's wild Fearows and shit out there in the cliffs too- ya ain't ever had one swoop on you? 'Cause I've heard of plenty of folks that've had that happen."

"I put up a screen and run," Rozen laughed. "Yes, I tried using a Disarming Voice or a Zen Headbutt when I was younger, but it was like a Sunkern trying to Tackle an Aggron. I'm _terrible._"

"The hell kind of a moveset do you use, then?"

"Oh, I make do with Reflect, Light Screen, Heal Pulse, and Helping Hand. I figured I shouldn't try to be something I'm not."

The Scrafty couldn't help but snicker. "Hot damn, I guess you _are_ useless on your own, ehehe!"

Rozen got a bit of an amused look himself. "I will not deny that, Rush.~ What about you?"

"Brick Break, Throat Chop, Poison Jab, and Façade. I like keepin' my bases covered."

"I suppose you would," Rozen noted. "You want to be an expeditioner, yes? That sounds like something that one would say."

"The gods know I try my damnedest," Rush laughed. "I'm so fed up with bullshit, y'know? Those asshats in Rugged Slope only give a damn about the ones they think are cool, and if that ain't you, then you can just go get fucked for all they care- and _I would know_. So I wanna make my own team that _ain't_ like that. I never had anyone to help or protect me, but I can sure help and protect anyone else that needs it. And I don't give a shit if _I_ think they're cool or not- all Pokémon deserve the same basic respect until they give ya a _good reason_ to revoke it. At least, that's how it is if ya ask me."

Rozen nodded, taking it in. "Oh, I very much agree," he replied. "I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't appeal to me as well, but what can I say, it just seems the expeditioner life isn't for me. Besides, I'm content as I am now- the village folk here quite like having a cleric around if anyone is grievously injured, and I'm happy to assist."

However, by the way his eyes lit up, the Scrafty was getting an idea, and he studied Rozen again for a moment. "… Hey," he said pointedly but somewhat soft. "Maybe we could go together sometime. You can leave all the fighting to me; that's what I'm good at. I'd sure love havin' someone like you around to cover my ass if I get slammed through a wall or somethin'."

Rozen's eyes too started to light up. "… Perhaps," he affirmed.

* * *

"See?!" Rush laughed, patting Rozen on the back (with a bit more force than the Audino might've liked, likely due to the tipsiness). "The hell would we ever do without Rozen?! He might be useless for battling, but he sure as hell ain't useless!"

"Oh, of course not!" Lazuli laughed. "We need our cleric!"

"Millicent can't hit anything to save her life either, but we all need her too!" Chira agreed. "Love comes in many different forms, and Pokémon are no different!"

Astrid had to agree. The ones not directly attacking in their last mission still had probably the most sway on how the tides turned of anyone else. Without Rozen's shields, fighting Team Sweetheart likely would've been much harder, and Adnea had obviously targeted Millicent first for a reason.

"So I ended up stayin' in Green Overpass for a while with Rozen, and it was honestly great!" Rush exclaimed with a laugh. "Everyone was so damned _nice!_ There was Betty and Travis next door, this cutesy-ass Miltank that would share huge bottles of her milk with everyone in town and her Tauros mate that was totally alright with givin' you a ride if ya needed one, and their li'l kid was a Shiny variant! Then there was Old Man Maverick the Braviary that lived in a big tree not too far away that'd tell stories for hours and all the li'l kids loved him! There were a handful of expeditioners too, but… I didn't really feel like askin' to join _their_ teams, 'cause that'd just feel like the easy path, and I wanted to make sure all my teammates were on the same page as me anyway. That's somethin' I wasn't gonna risk."

Rozen chuckled. "Oh, the townsfolk liked Rush too- they were quite curious where my new friend had come from," he noted with an amused grin. "Of course, I didn't tell them the actual story, but they got the idea rather well when I said he'd been hurt by his previous community and was staying with me for a while."

The Scrafty laughed. "As much fun as it would've been to brag about Nifty and Swaggy, Rozen said that was a bad idea, ehehe!"

"It was for your own good," the Audino said, giving him a playful nudge.

"Heh, you're probably right," Rush playfully conceded. "But anyways! I didn't go dungeon-crawling for at least a week, maybe two- I don't fuckin' know exactly- 'cause I was stickin' close to Rozen and tryin' to figure out how society actually works when you ain't at the bottom of some fuckin' contrived ladder. But we got to see how well we worked together preeeeetty soon, ehehe!"

* * *

It was nearing the end of another peaceful day, the sky starting to turn shades of pink and orange with the sun setting in the distance. The berry bushes in the garden started looking a bit barer once the fruits ripened, and both the Scrafty and Audino carefully picked them off and piled them in a basket.

"Ya got so many," Rush snickered. "You must love these damned bushes, ehehe!"

"Well, why do you think my food tastes so good?" Rozen chuckled. "Everything I grow myself, I grow with care."

The Scrafty laughed again, plucking down a Kelpsy berry and throwing it into the basket.

However, something else immediately caught their attention when a dismayed cry came from out front along with a frantic stomping of hooves. It was hardly a second later before Rush was darting through the back door and out the front door, and Rozen was quick to follow suit.

A certain Miltank looked distraught while a Midnight Lycanroc tried to comfort her to little avail while looking uncertain himself.

"She won't be down there forever, Betty, I'm sure," the Lycanroc said.

"No, but the fact that she's _there_ is bad enough!" the Miltank protested, getting misty eyes. "I'm glad her friends told me, at least, but there's no telling how badly she's hurt!"

Rush darted over, Rozen close behind. "What's wrong?" the Scrafty asked quickly. "Who's hurt?"

"My little Belle!" the Miltank answered, turning to the two new figures. "She's at the bottom of a crevice! Her friends told me they were out playing to the north, but the thing is, there's a Honchkrow nest over there, and you know how the Murkrow line is about shiny objects! They must've seen her fur and thought they could carry her off, but when she was trying to get rid of them, she fell over a steep edge! Her friends say she can't move and she's down there crying with a bunch of Murkrows swarming her!"

The Scrafty and Audino alike both had wide eyes soon, and Betty burst into tears while the Lycanroc still patted her back to little effect.

"I don't know what to do!" the Miltank cried. "I'm not good at scaling steep slopes like that, Travis is even worse at it than me, Vina's team hasn't come back yet, and the only bird we have is Old Man Maverick, but he's too fragile to pick her up! I can't just leave her, but-!"

Rush cast a glance at Rozen, and they could both tell the other was thinking the same thing. Before Betty could even finish her sentence, Rush was sprinting off to the north, Rozen haplessly trying to keep up.

"H-hey!" Betty called. "What're you two doing?!"

"Going to get your kid back!" Rush hollered back, not stopping for a second.

* * *

"Oh, man!" Arashi exclaimed. "So that's one time being a Shiny variant would suck!"

"_Exactly!_" Rush laughed. "No one tell that to Team Mirage, though! Ehehe!"

Of course, the Frogadier got fanboyish sparkles in his eyes at the recollection of touching Joker's feathers, and Astrid could tell easily enough exactly what ran through her partner's mind.

* * *

Perhaps it wasn't a time when the dusky avians were most active, but their caws could definitely be heard congregating around one cliff in particular. Rozen knew exactly where to go, and Rush took note of the path they travelled, making haphazard little scribbles in his notebook on the map as they went so as not to forget it anytime soon.

"That poor dear," Rozen panted, his feet skittering as fast as they could behind Rush. "She must be so afraid… It's getting dark out and she's all alone…"

"I'll give those birds somethin' to be afraid of," Rush brushed it off.

A flutter of wings sounded from a nearby tree, and shortly thereafter, a pitch-black avian swooped down and darted straight towards them, trying to Peck the Scrafty in particular. Its beak met with a Reflect instead, and without missing a beat, Rush ducked out from behind the shield and Throat Chopped at the Murkrow, but the wild one let out a fussing squawk and retreated back to its tree limb.

"Try it again," Rush snarled at it, balling his fist up. "I dare you."

The Murkrow clearly didn't want to, for it stayed put, its shifty red eyes peering down at them. However, when it squawked a bit more, another sound left its throat that made them stop for a moment. "Don't leave me here! Mama! Daddy!"

It was a small and squeaky voice, slightly distorted by the Murkrow's imitation. Rush studied it incredulously for a moment, and Rozen got wider eyes.

"I'm scared! It hurts…!"

The Audino piped up, eyeing it with fright. "That thing is imitating Belle's voice! Scoundrel!"

Rush shook his head, shooting the Murkrow a dirty look before running off again. "Holy fuck, let's get this kid out of here before another one comes up sayin' 'I'm dying' or some shit."

It was easy enough to see where Belle was once they got closer to the crevice, for at least six Murkrows perched on the edge of the crevice with shifty eyes directed down at the bottom. Whenever the two new figures entered their vicinity, they perked up, and two of the dark avians flew at them with more caw-cawing.

"C'mere, bitches!" Rush snarled, balling one fist up and spitting acid onto it.

One's Wing Attack was cut short before it could even strike when the Scrafty Poison Jabbed it, eliciting a gurgling squawk of pain before the Murkrow was slumped unmoving on the ground. The other tried to Peck him but was blocked by a Reflect, which vanished in moments to let Rush's Throat Chop strike. Another of the black-feathered creatures looked as though it too wanted to attack, but seeing its brethren get knocked out so fast evidently made it reconsider, for it turned the other way and flew off. Its comrades followed, but a small caw-cawing sound still came from the bottom of the crevice.

"Belle, dear?!" Rozen called.

They peered over the edge, which was around a 25 meter drop, and sure enough, a little sparkling blue Miltank was at the bottom with both of her arms covering her head while three more Murkrows dug their claws into her back and flapped haplessly. She tried to swat at them, but every time she did, two others perched on rocks around her puffed up and Pecked at her. That would be unpleasant enough, but the reason she couldn't even attempt to run away was fairly obvious too- one of her bottom legs was stuck at an odd angle with an incredibly deep and bloodied gash in it, a snapped white structure visible at the center amid some pinkish broken tissue. A streak of blood colored the edge of one rock on the side of the crevice, so deducing where she'd gotten the injury from wasn't difficult.

The little Miltank whimpered, not even looking up at the source of the voice. "Mr. Rozen, is that you…?! Help me…! I can't move…!"

"_Damn_," Rush flatly remarked as he eyed her broken leg, mostly to himself. Then, much more loudly, he called down, "HEY! YOU BUNCH OF SHINY-NABBING BASTARDS! _LEAVE HER ALONE!_"

That got the Murkrows' attention, and two of them went flying up at their less vulnerable company. If even just a bit, Belle looked relieved, and tried swatting at the ones left again to no avail.

"Getting her out of there is going to be the real challenge," Rozen noted, putting up another Reflect as the Murkrows dive-bombed them.

"No, it ain't," Rush said to the contrary, ducking out just far enough to Poison Jab one. "It might take us a little while, but it'll work out."

The Audino looked over with slight incredulity as the other Murkrow went down to a Brick Break. "Oh? What are you thinking? Scaling a cliff in her condition-"

"She ain't gonna be scalin' no cliffs," Rush cut him off. "That's what we do to get down there, then I bust us a pathway back up. If I could crack an Onix, then I'm pretty damn sure I can crack a short tunnel through a canyon that'll get us back up here but goes up gradually enough for her to walk on."

The Audino blinked, but didn't protest it. Rush studied the edges of the crevice and found a ledge to jump down on, motioning Rozen to follow along. The feeler-eared one did so, and Rush reached a hand out to help keep him steady, which Rozen gladly took. Belle stayed hunkered at the bottom while the other two gradually made their way down with Rush leading the way, either crawling down to a lower ledge or jumping off to a nearby one, after which he'd reach out for Rozen to either keep him steady or catch him after a jump. The remaining Murkrows definitely took notice that two other figures were approaching, and Rozen stayed close to the crevice's wall while Rush knocked them clear out of the air when they got close from the cover of the Audino's shields.

"We're coming, Belle," Rozen called.

A pained whimper was the answer.

Still, it wasn't long before they got to the bottom.

"Thanks for that," Rozen said to the Scrafty. "I'm not sure I could've done that alone."

"Don't mention it," Rush brushed it off. "Thanks for those shields. Those damned birds didn't even touch me."

"Of course," the Audino replied.

They made their way over to Belle, who was still curled up and hesitant even without several Murkrows digging their claws into her. She looked even less stellar up-close, for several small red streaks could be seen through her blue fur that had obviously been put there by the scraping of talons. A few little trickles of blood dripped down her back from where those same talons had broken skin when the Murkrows tried to carry her off, and of course, the gaping wound in her leg couldn't be ignored.

"Belle, dear," Rozen said softly, kneeling down next to her. "It's okay. We're gonna get you home."

She whimpered a bit and peeked up, but the look on her face was obviously one of relief. She eased up much more when she felt the warm glow of a Heal Pulse, the more minor of her wounds starting to look much better in seconds.

"Daaaamn, that's gotta hurt," Rush remarked, still studying her leg.

Rozen gave him a very pointed look. "Watch your tongue. She's a child."

The Scrafty clapped both hands over his mouth, looking rather flustered in turn. "Agh! Sorry!"

The little Miltank didn't seem to mind too much, and she looked up. "I-it does…" she affirmed softly. "I thought I was gonna die…"

"Oh, that will not be happening anytime soon, dear," Rozen gently said, giving her a soft pat on the back. He looked to Rush next. "Let her wrap her arms around you for a moment."

Neither the Scrafty nor the Miltank were quite sure what Rozen was getting at, but Rush did as the Audino said and got close to the child, and she put her arms around him in a somewhat haphazard hug.

"Belle, tell me about your day," Rozen said, giving her another Heal Pulse while carefully looking over the bone jutting out from her wound.

He gently, as light as air, traced something with one finger along both sides of her leg, and Rush studied him too while he did it. The Scrafty quickly figured out exactly what Rozen was up to, and his grip tightened just a little around Belle.

"W-well, me and Nanette played this morning, and she beat me at tic-tac-toe for like, the fifth time this week…" Belle's wavering voice answered. "Then I went with Dad out to- _EEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_"

_Plunk!_

With one swift move, Rozen popped the bone back into place and some of Belle's broken flesh slid back into its rightful area (albeit with the obvious damage to her tissues still present), which made the little Miltank screech in discomfort and her arms clench as tightly as they could around Rush.

The Scrafty couldn't help but pity the child in her pain. "Where'd ya go with your dad?" Rush inquired, trying to keep her distracted.

"T-to pick some Perfect Apples…!" Belle replied, eyes getting misty. "He rams the tree with his head to knock them down, and I go put them in the basket…!"

"Yeah? Y'all do that often?"

"O-once a week, at least…"

"What about you and your mom? Y'all do anything together?"

"M-hm… There's a pretty flower field that… we go watch the sunrise from and… it's really nice…"

Rozen gave the Scrafty a haplessly approving look while he Heal Pulsed her some more, giving the break another careful feel, and Rush awkwardly grinned while Belle still practically tried to squeeze him to death.

"It is, yeah?" Rush pressed, still hugging her. She was certainly squirming less than she otherwise would've been without someone to grab hold of.

"M-hm… There's some wild Beautiflies and Combees out there and… one time, one of the Combees shared some honey with me…"

Rush chuckled. "Heh. Sounds like you're a happy kid."

"M-hm… E-except for right now…"

"Heh! Everyone's got a bad day, Belle- yours just happens to be a _really_ bad day."

Rozen backed away from her and studied the injury for just another moment before piping up, "Alright, I've done what I can for now. We'll have to get her back home before I can get a proper fix on that bone, but it's back in place at least."

Rush nodded.

Belle too let out a sigh of relief, but then started looking hesitant again. "H-how are we gonna get out? I can't-"

"Don't worry about that, kiddo," Rush assuaged her. "Leave it to me."

It took an hour or two to get up with little Belle moving as slowly as she was with her injury, but indeed, the rocky wall was no match for Rush's fists, especially with Rozen lending a Helping Hand. When the Scrafty wasn't demolishing the mountain's underside, he had Belle leaning on one of his shoulders to keep weight off of her broken leg, and when he was punching holes through the terrain, Rozen gave Belle support instead while putting up a Reflect to keep the debris from hitting either one of them.

The little Miltank was certainly happy to make it back to town again, and her parents likewise were quite happy to see her in one piece. A bit of time spent at Rozen's house later, and her leg was bandaged up with a splint to speed up the healing, but the Heal Pulses already had it looking far less gnarly than it had at the bottom of the crevice. She'd be fine- it'd just be some days of not running around in the fields.

But, when all was said and done, and the sun had long since disappeared over the horizon while the Scrafty and Audino were left alone in the little green cottage…

Rozen gave Rush a slight grin. "… So what was that you'd said about dungeon-crawling together?"

Rush perked up. "You… you _want_ to?!"

"I do," was the easy reply. "I think we go quite well together. You do the attacking, I do the defending, and it all works out lovely."

The Scrafty's grin spread.

"And if I may be so brazen…" Rozen's voice trailed off as he too got a smirk. "… Perhaps we'd make a good team together."

That was all Rush needed to hear. In moments, the Audino was surprised to find Rush's hands thrown around him in a hug, Rush wearing the biggest grin he could possibly muster.

* * *

"And that's how our team formed," Rush said with a grin, still fidgeting a bit.

Rozen chuckled. "I'm still rather surprised it was me to suggest such."

"Heh! You knew what the _good_ life was!" Rush laughed, giving him a nudge. "Well, we got our name 'Expedition Coalition' 'cause obviously, we go on expeditions, and we're two completely different 'Mon that still fit well together! So we went off and made it official, badges and everything, and we started doin' expeditioner stuff! And hot damn, we _did_ go good together! It was like the _perfect_ setup!"

Astrid figured that much was obvious- their experiences with the two of them had proved such already.

Rush, though, got a shifty-eyed smirk and his eyes narrowed a bit. "But y'know who we ran into?"

Arashi grinned. "Who?!"

"Was it your enemies…?" Raijin inquired.

"_Exactly!_" Rush affirmed. "When ya leave someone with an ass-kicking like that, they don't forget! And I didn't _want_ 'em to forget either, but what I _didn't_ expect was for 'em to keep showin' up where I didn't wanna see 'em!"

* * *

**Mountain Overpass 1F**

Rocks, crag, sparse little grassy patches, the occasional tree sapling, and… _unwanted company_ filled the dungeon rooms. A certain Scrafty and Audino duo looked back at two other flippant Scrafties on the other side of the room, their eyes practically glinting with mischief as always.

"Are you _fucking kidding me?_" Rush said flatly, looking tired even if he had no reason otherwise to be.

Rozen stuck close to his side, incredulously eyeing their company.

Two Scrafties smirked and snickered, giving the Coalition duo some very amused looks. Two red-colored scarves were tied around Nifty and Swaggy's necks with badges of their own bearing the name 'Team Swagger' that likewise looked fairly new and pristine. Of course, Rush and Rozen had two of their own too, but those were tucked away in the bag that Rozen carried.

"Yo, Rush!" Nifty laughed, more like a taunt.

"Long time no see!" Swaggy added, crossing his arms.

The smaller-crested one rolled his eyes. "Pfffft, the fuck y'all want?"

Nifty laughed, clasping her hands together in a mocking way to feign an innocent look. "An _answer_, you ruffian! That goodbye was _so_ hurtful!"

"And is this your friend?!" Swaggy cackled, motioning at Rozen. "Hah! I bet I could snap that li'l Pinky in half!"

Rozen's eyes narrowed, the Audino looking ready to put up a shield at the slightest sudden motion. "There is no need for that, and my name is _Rozen_, thank you," he said pointedly but gently.

Rush growled, sticking an arm in front of the Audino and quickly looking furious at any threats to his partner. "Either one of you lay a hand on him, and I'll fuckin' rip that hand off."

More laughter came from Nifty, and she too looked to Rozen. "Ya see that, Pinky?! This one ain't one that you wanna stick around! He's a freak!"

"He practically tried to live in the dungeons by himself!" Swaggy corroborated. "If that ain't the mark of a freak, then I don't know what is! Why don't ya join us instead, huh~?!"

"I will do no such thing," the Audino swiftly replied. "I've heard all about you, and the way you're acting now proves _exactly_ what my friend has told me. I have no desire to keep the company of such proud, flagrant criminals."

The other two Scrafties looked taken aback at his words, but still they grinned.

"'Criminals?!'" Swaggy exclaimed.

"In my eyes, that is what Pokémon who senselessly attack other Pokémon are," Rozen wasn't fazed. "Why are you here?"

"'Cause we heard _this_ bastard made his own damned team and we just had to see," Nifty said, snickering and motioning at Rush. "Not that it matters! You're still just a worthless freak that no one wants!"

It was Rush's turn to snicker. "And why'd _you two_ make a team, huh?" he shot back with a smirk. "So you could rub it in my face that you have one? So you could piss me off? Just to get a sparkly badge?"

"Pfft, the fuck does that matter to _you?!_" Swaggy shot back.

"I'm just curious," Rush chuckled. "Because if you found your purpose in life, then that's fan-fucking-tastic and I hope it works out."

It was a positive statement, but somehow, it seemed to piss Nifty and Swaggy off by the way their eyes narrowed and hands twitched, not quite curling into fists but getting close. Their reactions only made Rush smirk more, and he and Rozen exchanged knowing glances.

"The fuck are you on about?!" Swaggy growled, taking a few steps closer.

"Absolutely not a damn thing," Rush laughed, not caring one bit. "Look, I gotta ask- did y'all come here for a fight? 'Cause I don't give a fuck about y'all one way or another, but if you want me to kick your asses again, _I'll gladly oblige!_"

* * *

"I do believe you put Nifty's head through a wall and Swaggy's head through the floor," Rozen chuckled, seeming rather amused himself (which somewhat surprised the Starstorm trio).

"Nah, it was the other way around," Rush replied, smashing his fists together. "Swaggy got the wall and Nifty got the floor! _Ngaaaaah!_"

There wasn't much room for questioning exactly how he did it, too- the Coalition lead made some haphazard motions that mimicked how one would go smashing a head through a floor and a wall. Dren's tail had to keep him from tumbling over into a heap again, and he plopped back into the chair shortly after.

"So we won that one too," Rush noted. "We _kicked their asses_, and they got pissed to all hell when Rozen kept me from takin' their hits! And y'know, _maybe_ that would tell any reasonable 'Mon to fuck off and leave me alone, but _them?!_ Nah! They kept showin' up at the same damn dungeons we'd go to, start the bullshit, we'd fight, and me and Rozen would mind our own business. It sure wasn't _every_ mission we went on, but y'know what they were up to, yeah?"

"They were trying to get in your way and stop you from succeeding!" Arashi piped up.

"_Exactly!_" the Scrafty affirmed. "Maybe they couldn't beat me an' Rozen, but damned if they weren't gonna try to get at me some _other_ way! No matter how many times I'd knock the shit out of 'em, they never permanently went away."

Astrid figured that even if winning fights with them wasn't any huge feat, constantly having them show up to throw a wrench in expeditions must've been annoying nonetheless. They must've been like angry Caterpies- harmless, but no one wanted to get snared in their messy strings.

"Sheesh! They just didn't know when to _quit_, did they?" Arashi laughed.

Rush's look got even more mischievous. "Oh, Li'l Blue, they knew _exactly_ when to quit," he said to the contrary, snickering under his breath. "You go look up Team Swagger in the records today and they ain't a team anymore. Y'all know what they thought of me, and Rozen pissed 'em off, but the two of us weren't enough to scare 'em off completely."

The Scrafty's gaze travelled over to a certain Salamence, who smiled but started looking just a bit hesitant. Dren chuckled to himself, looking at the floor.

"Say what ya will, but if you're just fuckin' around and not ready for what's comin', and ya see a Mega Salamence growlin' and barin' fangs at ya, you're gonna run the other way," Rush noted, looking up at the ceiling and crossing his arms. "So let me just tell ya _that_ ordeal."

* * *

The Scrafty and Audino were both grinning and chuckling as they made their way back to the little green cottage, not a cloud in the sky and nothing to rain on their parade.

"That poor petty thief," Rozen mused with a smile. "He didn't know what he was getting into, did he?"

"Pfft, of course not!" Rush laughed. "His face when I KO'd him was _priceless_, ehehe!"

A laugh escaped them both, and Rush gave his partner a pat on the back.

"I must say, I _never_ envisioned myself doing this," the feeler-eared one noted, shaking his head but looking cheerful nonetheless. "But with _you_… Well, I'd say this is absolutely perfect."

"Ain't it?!"

Rozen found himself with two arms thrown around him in a haphazard hug the next moment, which he was just a bit surprised at but still didn't protest. He would've given Rush one back as well, but his arms were pinned to his side and such was impossible.

"Fuck, I wish I'd met you sooner," the Scrafty said, turning loose. "Have I ever told you that you're the fuckin' best, Rozen?"

The one in question giggled. "I'm glad you feel that way."

Another hearty cackle left Rush, but at around the same time, a large bovine figured came dashing out from Green Overpass' vicinity straight towards them. It didn't take long to recognize it as Travis the Tauros, and Rozen gave a friendly little wave as he approached.

"Yo, Trav!" Rush called, waving himself.

The Tauros slowed down and trotted closer, saying through a few small pants, "Afternoon, you two. This is rather sudden, but could I bother you two- mostly you, Rozen- for an hour or two?"

The Audino perked up and skittered closer himself. "Oh? What's the situation?"

Rush too perked up, but didn't say anything.

"Well, you're the best cleric we have around here," Travis noted, sounded a bit unnerved about something. "There's… been an incident in Draco Ridge involving one of the children, and… it's rather grievous."

They perked up even more.

"The hell happened?" Rush pressed, looking worried.

"I'm not sure of the details, except that there was an accident while playing," the Tauros answered, still sounding perturbed.

Rozen didn't need any more reasons and quickly piped up, "I'll need to grab a few things from the house, but I'll go. Travis, could we trouble you for a ride? You run far quicker than I can, and if your voice is anything to go by, this is serious."

"Absolutely. Hop on," Travis said, flattening himself out a bit.

Both the Audino and Scrafty jumped onto the Tauros' back, and shortly he was dashing off as fast as he could.

* * *

"Oh, Draco Ridge," Dren chuckled, shaking his head. "That's the thing about a community entirely consisting of dragons- almost everyone is good at battling, but if someone gets hurt, hardly anyone knows what to do about it."

"Who got hurt?!" Arashi wanted to know. "Dren, was it you?!"

Both Rush and Rozen couldn't help laughing at the Frogadier's idea (although the Audino with much less gusto), and Dren let out a bit of a sigh, smiling at the ground instead.

"Oh, no," the Salamence answered, sounding a bit hapless. "I didn't get hurt. I was the one that caused it."

… _That _definitely came as a surprise to the Starstorm trio.

* * *

_**Author's** **note**: Happy holidays, everyone. Merry Christmas and a blessed Yule to those who celebrate them._

_I had hoped to post a few days ago, but chapter 40 is rather long, and I spent quite a bit of time on that one and polishing this one up. I discovered something regarding certain movesets that flustered me a bit as I was doing so, but... I will tell you all about that at the end of the next chapter since that is where it comes into play, hehehe._


	40. Chapter 40: Mega-Fueled Rage

Travis hadn't been lying about the injury being grievous. There weren't any pools of blood or bones sticking out, but the entire left side of a Gible was paralyzed… and it wasn't hard to see why, for his skin on the injured side turned shades of dark blue (a much darker shade than his skin's natural color) and purple, and his left arm was curved in a way it obviously should not have been. It was a _nasty_ bruise, and the damage obviously went below the skin too for how quickly it spread. Whatever had hit him, the blow was a frighteningly strong one.

"You might want to grab onto someone for this," Rozen suggested, gently tracing his arm with one finger while giving a Heal Pulse as well.

"N-nah, go ahead, I can take it," the Gible replied, voice confident but wavering.

Rozen looked a bit hesitant, but still, quick as he possibly could, he took the Gible's arm and bent it back into more of its stubby straight shape.

Instantly, the little round dragon was regretting his words. "GYAAAAAAAAH!" he bellowed, his roar echoing throughout the caverns. "This is almost as bad as when it broke! _Gyaaaaaah!_"

"There's one more," Rozen gently noted, visibly lamenting that fact too even if he wasn't the one in pain.

The Gible gritted his teeth. "Get it over with."

Another quick motion by Rozen snapped the bones back into place, and yet again, horrendous roars of discomfort filled the area.

There probably wasn't a single soul in Draco Ridge that wasn't getting their senses assaulted by the happenings, and more than a few dragons stood around to make sure everything was alright while some others peeked out of their windows with concern. The village, much like Rugged Slope, was hewn into the pale brown rocks of the mountainous passes, though unlike the other areas, it seemed the place had been showered in meteorites more than once judging from the large craters in the ground and giant rocks lodged into the earth here and there. (Perhaps it was a natural occurrence, or perhaps someone had summoned a few too many Draco Meteors.) Several caves, not very deep but with giant openings, dotted the sides of the cliffs, probably the homes of some much larger species like Garchomp and Goodra, and a big lake in the center of the ridge had a few Kingdras and Dragalges peeking up from the crystal clear blue water where more caves could be seen underneath the surface. It was all rather peaceful, yet also a bit… intimidating, with stalactites and stalagmites scattered around resembling sharp teeth and echoes bouncing around off the slick walls.

Two Garchomps stayed close by, one of them nervously tapping his claws together as their son's broken limb was fixed, and a little group of smaller dragons- a Fraxure, Sliggoo, and Dragonair- watched their injured friend with hesitant but intrigued faces. Travis and a Druddigon carried on together, the Tauros leaving Rush and Rozen to take care of the matter at hand.

However, much different than the others was a Shelgon huddled in one corner, apparently trying his hardest to bury his face in his forelimbs as tears streamed from his eyes. A Salamence eyed him with pity, but whenever she tried to get close, the Shelgon seemed to fuss and wave her off again. Rush couldn't help but take notice.

"You're taking it like a champ, Zura," the less nervous of the two Garchomps said, still flinching a bit whenever the little round dragon yelled.

"I'm trying, Mom, but this _sucks!_" the Gible cried out. He looked to Rozen with a rather flustered countenance. "_Please_ tell me that was the last time!"

"Don't fret, dear," the Audino replied, taking some bandages and a stiff piece of wood out of his bag. "Your arm was broken in two places, so we're done moving it. You should be fine after I set it."

A heavy sigh of relief left the Gible's mouth, though he did wince some more when Rozen started splinting his arm with the bandages and the wood. Rush, on the other hand, seeing as his partner had things under control, strode closer to the crying Shelgon with a curiously concerned look. The Endurance Pokémon didn't even notice.

"Yo, Shelgon," Rush said gently, kneeling down a bit. "You okay?"

The one in question immediately perked up, a mix of sorrow and frustration pouring out in his voice as he cried, "No! _Stay away from me!_"

Instantly the shell-covered figure was skittering backwards as far as he could, straight into the rocky wall behind him. Rush blinked, rather confused at the display, and the Shelgon went right back to crying his hapless eyes out. The Salamence close by strode over to Rush, gently sticking the tip of her tail around his shoulders. Rush eyed her next too.

"That's my little brother, Dren," the winged dragon noted, still haplessly studying the shelled one. "He's _really _upset. I wouldn't count on him talking to anyone anytime soon."

That caught the Scrafty's attention. "Eh? What's wrong?"

The Salamence nodded off towards the wincing Gible. "This isn't the first time that's happened. Trust me, he's a sweet Shelgon and doesn't mean it, but…"

That caught his attention even more. "Wait, ya mean-"

"Yes, he did it," was the swift answer. "He's the strongest one of our family by a _long_ shot, even though he never gets into battles. When we were both little Bagons, we were just playing around, he Headbutted me just like literally every Bagon does… and I spent six hours unconscious."

Rush blinked in surprise. "… Damn, you ain't kidding, are ya?"

She shook her head. "I'm not. Look, most of the younger dragons here like play-fighting, nothing serious, but he's one of the few that would rather just look at flowers and splash water around. And there's nothing wrong with that, it's just… he's _strong_, so naturally, the others wanna battle. But the few times he's ever battled in his life… Well, either he's too uncomfortable to do much or he freaks out and _actually_ makes a move, which causes a hell of a lot of damage, and then he cries for hours. He's afraid he'll accidentally hurt his friends and that everyone will start avoiding him for being scary and strong, and he'll just be alone forever because no one will want to come near him."

The Scrafty got an awkwardly pitying look too, studying the Shelgon in question next. "Bein' alone forever? That's a little extreme, don't ya think?"

"I do, so do our parents and grandparents, and so do a lot of the other dragons down here. We just don't know what to do or what to tell him."

Rush shook his head, not too convinced. "You ever tell him that there's _other_ crazy strong 'Mon out there, but they _ain't_ nice ones? I'm a crazy bastard that likes gettin' into fights, but I make damn sure that if I _get_ into a fight, it's with some other crazy 'Mon that's givin' everyone else hell. Maybe he's the same way that I am, just _differently_ the same way."

The Salamence sighed heavily. "You're the one with the badge. Maybe he'll hear it from you."

She gave Rush one last shoulder-tap before trailing off to go see how the injured one was faring, and Rush took a few steps closer towards the crying Shelgon.

* * *

Astrid studied Dren for a second, the Salamence looking a bit hesitant at the mention of the occurrence. Of course, a fully evolved dragon like him couldn't be weak, but somehow, she hadn't been expecting something _quite_ like that. If that was true, then… it was likely _Dren_ that was the strongest of the Coalition and not Rush, as she otherwise would've thought.

"Hold on a second," Arashi piped up inquisitively. "Dren, just how strong are you? I mean… you _still_ don't battle, right?"

"That's right," Dren confirmed gently. "I've never had an inclination to, natural strength for it or not. I only bare these fangs if I absolutely _must_, but every time it's come to that, I've never lost."

Rush snickered, shooting the Salamence a smirk before looking back at the Starstorm trio. "If I didn't have Rozen, Dren would whoop my ass in a fight."

Dren merely chuckled to himself, not too concerned at all. Ama, though, giggled and traipsed over to Dren, sticking an arm around one of his forelegs again. The Salamence's tail reached out and gave her another small pat, which made her smile grow bigger.

"This one is an absolute _sweetheart_, though~!" Ama chirped. "Your species might be comparatively scary, but we all know you've got a lovely heart of gold and if you weren't already with darling Rush, _I'd _jump at any chance to take you on _my_ team~!"

Dren chuckled, patting her again. "Oh, Ama, you're too kind.~ Though the dragon you have now is probably a much better fit than I am."

Jingle giggled a bit too.

"Well, y'all know Dren doesn't go on expeditions," Rush noted to the Starstorm trio. "Hell, I think Adnea's actually been on more than he has, and y'all heard Adnea talk about how she feels about leavin' base!"

"It's true," the Orbeetle chimed in, still flat as ever. "_Someone_ has to hold the fort down."

"Someone _does!_" the Scrafty concurred, haphazardly pumping his fist in the air in approval. "And y'all know how our setup is _now_\- Adnea keeps watch on the surroundings, and if anyone is stupid enough to try anything, all Dren's gotta do is threaten to go Mega and they run like hell. But obviously, it was only me and Rozen then. But I wanted Dren too, ehehe!"

* * *

"Dren? Yo, Dren?"

The Shelgon looked up from his crying huddle on the ground and tearfully glared at Rush, hunching back into the wall as far as he could get. "Stay away from me! I already ruined _one_ Pokémon's day, I don't need someone else getting close to me for me to accidentally mangle them, too! _Just leave me be!_"

Rush laughed, brushing it off. "I just wanna talk, Dren. Besides, I've gotten the daylights beaten out of me a hundred times over; getting mangled ain't anything I'm worried about."

"Well, _I'm_ worried about it!" Dren shot back, tears still pouring out of the opening in his shell.

The Scrafty held his hands up disarmingly, sitting down on the floor a meter or so away. "Then I ain't gonna get close; no worries," he still brushed it off. "I'm a li'l worried about _you_, though. Your sis told me you're afraid of bein' alone forever."

The shelled figure shuddered for a second, trying to bury his face in his forelegs. "And I have every reason to be! Look, I _hate_ this, okay?! I don't care anything about battling, I don't want to hurt anyone, but I just had to be born as one of the _scary_ dragons that's also the strongest one of the clan! I _could_ be a Salamence already if I wanted to be, but I _never_ want to evolve, because then I'll just be stronger and scarier! The one thing I might actually be good at is something I _hate!_ There's only so many accidents you can be forgiven for before everyone starts branding you as malicious or negligent, and I don't know when that will be!"

Rush didn't seem too convinced and smirked just a bit. "Nah, that ain't the problem, Dren."

"Then what is?!"

The Scrafty chuckled a bit. "The problem is that you're afraid of your entire damned existence and don't know what to do with yourself, whether you like battles or not. You bein' strong and scary ain't the problem."

The Shelgon scoffed. "Oh, _please!_ _This_ wouldn't have happened if I wasn't!"

"Oh, _please,_" Rush scoffed back, rolling his eyes. "Next thing you're gonna say is 'It wouldn't have happened if I was a Swablu instead!' then 'Well, it wouldn't have happened if I'd never been born!' or some shit like that. That's a cop-out answer and you know it."

"But it's true!"

"Is it _really_, Dren?" Rush shot back, still unfazed. "You sure there ain't a whole lot of circumstances that contributed to it- like your pals wanting to fight when you don't, you freakin' out 'cause ya hate yourself, and apparently _no one_ teachin' you how to get your nerves under control so you can think clearly if ya ever wind up in that situation?"

… He _wasn't_ sure. He didn't answer, and instead just buried his face again.

"Look, Shelly, maybe I don't know what it's like to be you and be good at somethin' you hate, but where I came from, the one thing I _was_ good at was somethin' everyone hated me for. That plays out about the same way, don't it?"

A heavy sigh. "… What are you saying? That _you_ know how to fix all this?"

Rush chuckled. "Maybe not, but I got an idea!"

* * *

"And y'all know what that idea was?" Rush inquired.

"Well, you're a Salamence now," Arashi noted. "Was it facing your worries head-on and getting into tons of battles anyway?"

"_Hell_ no!" the Scrafty said to the contrary.

Dren only laughed at the very idea. "That's quite optimistic, Arashi."

The Frogadier only giggled.

"You must have joined the team," Raijin chimed in next, a bit contemplative. "Were you acting as a guard then as well, Dren? To keep the Rugged Slope occupants away?"

"You're _real_ close," Rush replied, giving the Xurkitree a mischievous wink.

"Was it to scare off Nifty and Swaggy…?" Astrid's voice trailed off as her eyes fell on the Coalition lead next. "If they kept going after _you_, and they weren't afraid of either you or Rozen…"

Rush shot her a wild smirk. "Theeeere we go again! Right on, Li'l-li'l Green! I told 'im what I was thinkin'- that hell, sometimes just _knowin_' someone that's strong as hell is hangin' around is _plenty_ to keep troublemakers out, and Dren could be that someone without ever makin' a single move! Y'know, bein' strong and scary ain't a bad thing at all! There ain't nothin' better than a gentle 'Mon that'll let you cry into their tail and hug you and all that shit, but they can also whoop some serious ass if they _gotta_, and Dren had _both_ of those things in his favor!"

Astrid had to agree that such was true. The night she couldn't sleep and ended up pacing around the base's exterior with Raijin, Dren had peeked out to make sure everything was alright and had told them there was always space in his tail for hugs, which was comforting, but at the same time, she could tell he was strong simply from being close to him. A gentle giant- that was definitely Dren.

"Were you okay with that, though?" Arashi inquired, turning to the Salamence.

Dren chuckled. "… I certainly warmed up to it," he answered.

* * *

Rush stayed put, giving the shelled figure some space, but gradually as they carried on, Dren unfurled from his balled-up crying position. Rush grinned the entire time, and Rozen was starting to finish up with the Gible.

"H-hold on," the Shelgon inquired, his tears halted but his eyes still a bit uncertain. "So you're saying…"

"Your kind ain't weak- we all know that 'Mon like Salamence, Tyranitar, Garchomp, and Metagross are some of the strongest ones short of legendaries," Rush noted. "Fact of the matter is, whether you want to be or not, you're fuckin' strong and intimidating. But that ain't a bad thing. Hell, I say it's a _damn_ good thing- the world don't look near as ugly when there ain't nobody that wants to cause trouble for ya, and the strong ones always got it easier in that regard."

Dren sighed. "… That's true, okay…? But… what is it _exactly_ that your idea is?"

"Well, you probably already know this, but there's some shady 'Mon out there that don't listen to anyone that can't kick their ass. I'm good at ass-kicking, but there's some asshats out there that still won't listen to me."

"Those other two Scrafties… Nifty and Swaggy, was it…?"

"Yeeaaaaaah," Rush replied, rolling his eyes and sticking his arms behind his head. "They're really the fuckin' worst. They don't give a damn about me or Rozen; they just wanna see me get fed up and quit. I'm pretty damn sure that if I had someone like _you_ around… they'd cut that shit out. And I know I ain't the only one out there with someone like them on my trail either."

The Shelgon buried his face in his forelimbs again. "But… that's using me as a threat."

The Scrafty chuckled. "Yeah, but only to 'Mon that deserve it! If the only ones that are afraid of you are the ones causin' trouble and givin' everyone else hell, I say that's a good thing."

Another sigh. "… You're not wrong. But I'm still… extremely hesitant about battling."

Rush rested his head on one hand, smirking without a care. "We can handle that," he replied. "Look, Dren. I got a damn good cleric watchin' my back and I ain't afraid of getting beat up. You can practice with me and get those nerves under control. Expeditioner or not, the _last_ thing you ever need is an instance where you're getting attacked and you're freaking the hell out. That's one of the few times where battling _is_ completely necessary, and _everyone_ oughtta be ready for that if it happens."

"That's… true…"

Apparently Rozen was done splinting the injured one's arm, for his dainty steps made their way over to the Scrafty and Shelgon as well. Rush shot him a grin, and seeing his partner keeping distance, Rozen elected to as well.

"Hello, dear," the Audino said to the shelled figure, then looking between Rush and Dren, "What's going on over here?"

Rush snickered, grin growing bigger. "I'm gettin' us a new team member!"

Dren perked up, looking more startled than anything else. "W-what?! N-now, I never agreed to that!"

Rozen inquisitively eyed them both, and Dren eyed the Scrafty too while Rush laughed without a care.

"Oh, c'mon, my dude!" Rush brushed it off. "You ain't foolin' anyone! You like the idea!"

"Y-yes, but that still doesn't change the fact that I never agreed to this!" the Shelgon haplessly replied.

Some more laughter came from the Scrafty. "How 'bout you give it a try, eh? Spend a li'l bit of time with us and see how well ya like it!" He turned to Rozen next. "That a'ight with you too, Rozen?"

The Audino chuckled. "I have no objections, but I am curious as to how this came about."

Rush's gaze fell on Dren again, who perked up a bit more while still looking somewhat uncertain. The Shelgon's forelegs dug at the ground a bit in contemplation, and he rocked from side to side a bit while staring in silence at the ground.

"You ain't _gotta_ say yes, I just think it'd be worth a shot," Rush said gently, still smirking.

Another sigh escaped the shelled one, but he looked up at them. "… I'll try it. But don't you get carried away!"

A triumphant cheer came from the Scrafty's mouth and he pumped one fist in the air, which Rozen haplessly chuckled at.

One way or another, the little green cottage in Green Overpass had a third creature dwelling in it that night, Dren having accompanied them back once they saw fit to leave.

* * *

"And that's how we got Dren!" Rush laughed. "We only did some milder expeditions for a few days and then we'd practice a little more afterwards, 'cause I was tryin' to get Dren used to battles without freezin' up or freakin' out. Rozen was givin' us screens and Heal Pulses too, 'cause let me tell ya, Dren had a ton of power stored up inside that shell, ehehe!"

The Salamence giggled a bit at Rush's recollection. "I do recall breaking one or two screens and snapping at least six trees in half."

"And I believe one of my flower pots got shattered too," Rozen amusedly added. "But I don't think that was _Dren's_ fault so much as it was a certain Scrafty not paying attention to his surroundings."

The Audino gave a playfully pointed look at Rush, whose cheeks turned a bit more pink than they already were.

"Okay, this might be a dumb question, but I just have to ask," Arashi chimed in, getting another excited look. "So Dren is individually the strongest. But if the three of you got into a fight- Rush and Rozen against Dren- who would win?"

The ones in question gave each other some amused looks, but a certain Orbeetle piped up with a rather plausible answer. "_I _would," Adnea declared, rolling her eyes. "You saw how fights against comrades play out earlier today. No such thing would ever pass my detection, and using Hypnosis on two out of three is enough."

Cinder let out a huff at knowing what she referred to, casting another glare at the Frogadier, to which Lazuli gave his wing a nudge to calm him down again. Arashi didn't notice it, but Astrid certainly did, and she fluffed up a bit.

Still, the Orbeetle's response seemed as reasonable as any.

"Yeeeaaaaaah, that sounds about right," Rush amusedly acquiesced, giving a dismissive wave. "Can't nobody say for sure, Li'l Blue. It ain't like we were gettin' serious against each other, ehehe!"

Arashi still seemed curious, but he accepted the answer nonetheless.

"But, by about the third day, Dren decided he was actually enjoyin' himself and joined us for real," Rush noted. "He even talked about evolvin', too!"

* * *

_Crack!_

Though Dren may have lacked proper claws, his Dragon Claw definitely made Rozen's Reflect falter for a second, and Rush grinned at seeing it. The Scrafty ducked out from behind it just a bit, going for a Brick Break, but a Flamethrower breathed out of the opening in Dren's shell made him jump back as a Light Screen went up.

"You ain't too bad," Rush noted, smirking.

Dren said nothing, only taking a deep breath and exhaling it. He might've had a few moments of uncertainty, but the Shelgon wasn't freezing up in fright or getting flustered and acting erratic. Rush definitely needed a Heal Pulse here and there, but true to his words, even if some drops of blood splattered the ground, the Scrafty wasn't too worried about it.

"Truly, he isn't," Rozen concurred. "I do think I'm getting better at shields, too- holding you off is a bit of a challenge, Dren."

Dren meekly eyed them, hunching down just a bit. "That's a good thing, right…?"

"Sure is!" Rush laughed, smashing his fists together. "C'mon, hit me again!"

At that, the Shelgon crouched down and pounced, another Reflect going up that Dren Headbutted instead of his proper target. It didn't crack, but it definitely shook a bit, and Rush spit some acid onto his fist before swerving around and slamming it into Dren's shell. The dragon winced just a bit, but another Light Screen went up when a burst of flames shot out from his shell again.

"You could use a Heal Pulse, no?" Rozen gently inquired, looking to the dragon.

Dren nodded, and the sparring quit as Rozen's warm light touched the dragon. Rush snickered to himself, eyes glinting with glee.

"This… isn't so bad," Dren acknowledged, relaxing. "I'm feeling a lot more comfortable."

"Good," Rush remarked, giving his shell a pat. "That's what I was hopin' for. You're a good 'Mon that don't deserve feelin' bad about existing, _that's_ for damn sure."

Dren nestled up against him for a second, which made the Scrafty's grin turn a bit awkward at the sudden affection, but he didn't protest.

"I was thinking about something," the Shelgon mused, glancing up at the other two. "I like your idea, Rush- about me using my strength as a shield against troublemakers. But, if I were to join this team… perhaps I should evolve."

The Scrafty and Audino both got rather surprised looks on their faces at the suggestion and studied Dren for a second, taken aback but not objecting either.

"I thought you didn't wanna evolve," Rush noted, crossing his arms and smirking. "What's with that sudden change, huh?"

"Well, I'm actually feeling fine in my own form for once," was the answer. "You're right- my strength isn't the problem, it's how I thought about it. So if I'm a guard as we talked about… I _should_ be quite strong, shouldn't I? And besides, having wings is useful for many purposes. Flying is faster than walking if we need to be somewhere, for one."

Rush and Rozen looked at each other, Rush's smirk growing and Rozen getting a grin.

"You sure ain't wrong," said the Scrafty, looking back to the dragon. "You're really alright with that?"

Dren nodded.

Again, Rush and Rozen were sharing glances.

The Audino chuckled. "We might need to find ourselves a proper base, in that case. My cottage is a bit small for such a large creature as a Salamence."

* * *

"The time he evolved was about the time we realized that my cottage was simply too small to be directing a team out of," Rozen said. "An Audino, a Scrafty, and a Shelgon were rather cozy inside it together, but an Audino, Scrafty, and Salamence… were a bit _too_ cozy."

It was Dren's turn to laugh. "My wings wouldn't even fit through your doorway, Rozen! I was practically the size of the entire front room!"

The three of them shot each other amused glances, the Salamence haplessly shaking his head.

"This one here is sure good at makin' everyone feel like a pipsqueak," Rush jested, playfully pointing at their dragon comrade. "But that's a'ight! Anyone that talked to us could tell he was a nice guy, and li'l Belle even liked nestling up in his tail when we were hangin' around!"

"She was such a cutie," Dren laughed.

Astrid imagined it- a giant, intimidating dragon happily curled up in the grass with a little Shiny Miltank wrapped in his tail. She had to admit, it was rather endearing, and surely, no shiny-seeking Murkrow swarms would be stupid enough to attack a hulking Salamence.

"Now, we hadn't seen Nifty and Swaggy in about a week at that point," Rush noted, smirking. "We weren't goin' to our usual dungeons, so they probably weren't hangin' around in the same places that we were. But we knew we'd be seein' 'em, and if we were gonna shut 'em up for good, we had to give 'em one hell of a scare!"

* * *

It was another peaceful evening in Green Overpass, the cries of several smaller figures- a certain Shiny Miltank with very little traces of the damage she'd previously sustained, a Venonat, and a Sentret- filling the air a little ways off as they made markings in a grid in the dirt. Underneath a big tree, a very old-looking Braviary, an Audino, and a Salamence made pleasant conversation, but shortly…

"Hot _damn_, you guys!"

A certain Scrafty came scurrying over, his expression looking like an odd cross between amused, awkward, and downright perturbed. Whatever words were being exchanged came to an abrupt halt.

"What's the matter?" Rozen inquired, giving him a glance.

"You look like you just saw the underside of a Mimikyu," said the Braviary.

Rush shook his head, giving a little laugh. "Nah, Mav, if one of those went ripping off their rag at me, I'd Poison Jab it," he brushed it off. "But what I did see is how much a damned Mega Stone costs when I went to the Kecleon Shop and asked Li'l Green how much one was! Now _that_ is scary!"

Maverick gave a hapless little laugh, covering his beak with the tip of one wing, while Rozen and Dren perked up.

"Did they have the one we were looking for?" Dren inquired.

"How much?" Rozen asked.

Rush sighed. "Nah, they ain't got Salamencite," he said. "They got Beedrillite, Galladite, Heracronite, and hell, _Audinite_. But we don't need that last one, do we, Rozen?"

The one in question shook his head. "No, I have no need for that in my current function."

Rush nodded, then continued, "But they're all runnin' _six fuckin' figures_ minimum! You'd have to be one hell of a big-shot to just have that kind of money layin' around! I knew they were gonna be expensive, but… _damn!_"

That seemed to take the wind right of Rozen and Dren's figurative sails, and both of them got wide-eyed at the mention too.

"That's…" Rozen's voice blankly trailed off.

"… I suppose we won't be getting one of those anytime soon," Dren mused, shaking his head in stupor.

Maverick, on the other hand, started chuckling again, and Rush gave him a mischievous look.

"What're you laughin' at, old man?" the Scrafty inquired, giving him a playful nudge. "You got somethin' to say, then say it!"

"There's an option where you could get them yourselves without forking over an unholy amount of money, but it's not an easy feat," the old avian replied.

Rush studied him. "I ain't stealin' from no Kecleons, if that's what you're gettin' at," he remarked, grinning and rolling his eyes. "That's one fight I am _damn _sure I wouldn't win, ehehe!"

"No, no," Maverick said to the contrary. "There's a dungeon where you can find them, but that dungeon is… challenging, to say the least."

Rozen and Dren looked a bit intrigued at the prospect, if only due to the rarity of Mega Stones, but Rush, on the other hand, started getting a wild glint in his eye and a big smirk on his face.

"There is?! Tell me more, Mav!" the Scrafty cried. "Where we gotta go?! I'll throw down with anything!"

"Very far north," Maverick replied. "There's a dungeon called Forsaken Crater located out in the wilderness, far past where anything but wild ones would be willing to take up. The ground is nearly frozen, and everything is a blend of the same white-capped trees and frosted rocks for miles. In the dungeon itself, the Abomasnows and Tyranitars make the weather continuously swirl between a sandstorm and snowstorm, and the wild Steelixes cause earthquakes and rocks slides when they burrow around. There's also wild Mawiles and Gengars that can be troublesome… but are you noticing that every dungeon occupant has a Mega form of their own? Some of them can carry their respective stones and they become particularly vicious, but they don't even necessarily need to be holding the stones to evolve. Some of the stones are buried in the ground and walls where you'd never see them, but they're close enough to the dungeon-dwellers to let them have the benefits. I only know this because, when I was _much_ younger, me and my flock decided to go there just to see how we'd fare, but that was a huge mistake and we were using our Escape Orb by the third floor."

That… certainly didn't sound pleasant, to say the least. Dren and Rozen looked rather uncertain, but Rush's eyes were still glinting with mischief.

"That must be why they're so expensive," Dren mused. "That sounds horrific."

"That sounds _awesome!_" Rush said to the contrary. "You guys! We could totally do it!"

His comrades looked at him like he'd gone insane, and Maverick merely seemed surprised- not protesting, just surprised.

"No, really!" Rush exclaimed. "Four of those five got something in common- I have a super effective move for 'em, and I ain't afraid of no Mawile's jaws, either! Dren can fly, so if the ground caves, we can jump on him, and if the roof caves, Rozen can shield us! The weather'll probably be the suckiest part, but if we can get ahold of a Weather Band, we can stick that on Rozen and just have him heal me and Dren if we get too beat up by hail and sandstorms! All else fails, we can load up with Oran berries and Reviver Seeds!"

His comrades still looked uncertain, but Rozen got a skeptical grin and Dren softened up a bit. The old Braviary wasn't saying a thing, but rather turned to preen a few stray feathers while the Coalition members exchanged glances.

"Friend, I'm not one to doubt your abilities, but are you _sure_ about this?" the Audino inquired. "I've seen you wreck some foes much larger than you with your fists, but this dungeon sounds… treacherous."

"It really does," Dren agreed. "Perhaps the Mega Stone can be foregone. I'd hate to see anyone get injured trying to retrieve something in such a threatening place."

"Pfffft!" Rush still brushed it off. "Worse comes to worst, we can take an Escape Orb with us too! But I ain't worried about gettin' chomped by a Mawile or slammed by a Steelix!"

The feeler-eared one and the dragon cast each other a contemplative glance.

Rush, though, turned back to the Braviary. "Where we gotta go, Mav? How do we get there?"

The old avian chuckled. "From here, if you head north, the terrain turns into craggy ranges. If you _keep_ heading north, far enough out, the trees start turning into evergreens and the air gets cold. The crater itself is in the middle of a flattened field of land, which isn't hard to spot from overhead. Just look for a gaping black hole in the middle of a frozen clearing."

Rush whipped out his notebook and scrawled it down on the corner of one page. He grinned to his comrades.

* * *

"Arceus above, that sounds _hard!_" Arashi exclaimed. "I mean, I know you _said_ it was hard, but… sheesh!"

"That sounds more like a death-trap waiting to happen," Raijin concurred.

Astrid thought about it for a second. She and Arashi had already been given enough trouble by rock slides on the final floor of Lake Lucent, and the Dartrix in particular didn't like the idea of getting Ice Beamed by an Abomasnow again. Raijin had expressed discomfort at sandstorms and earthquakes, so surely, he wouldn't be too keen on it either. The fact that the occupants could be in their Mega forms was just the terrible icing on an already threatening cake.

Ama giggled. "Only the bravest go there~!" she chirped, happily clapping her hands together.

Arashi looked to her next. "Has _your_ team gone, Ama?"

Another giggle. "Oh, we have no reason to, darling~! Mega Stones are lovely and all, but none of us need them! If anyone in the Crossroads is likely to go, it's Shar's team, not ours! She's a handful without a Garchompite, but I couldn't see her turning one down, ahaha~!"

That sounded par. Still, Astrid couldn't help but to imagine Team Sweetheart traversing such a place… singing their sweet anthems about love while exchanging fierce blows with a bunch of angry Mega dungeon-dwellers. And of course, judging by what they'd seen and heard of the Gnarly Brigade, the sounds of clashing metallic claws and war cries would likely be heard for miles the second Shar and her underlings set foot in the dungeon.

"Well, hell, if anyone decides to make that trek, let me know, 'cause I wanna come too," Rush laughed, getting a wild-eyed smirk for a second. He turned back to the Starstorm trio. "It _was_ a fuckin' death trap, let me tell ya!"

* * *

**Forsaken Crater B1F**

Even with a few embers smoldering in Dren's maw for visibility (and for some fleeting semblance of warmth), seeing an object only a meter away was a challenge. There had to be an Abomasnow and a Tyranitar on the floor at the same time, for icy mists and thick layers of frost covered the ceiling and dropped hailstones on anything below, and at the same time, a harsh wind blew through the dungeon tunnels carrying grains of sand that scratched at anything they touched like tiny sets of claws. Thick darkness shrouded their visibility, making it almost impossible to tell if the shadows dancing around were cast from the embers or indicated a Gengar slinking out to ambush them. The air was so cold that it almost burned, and Rush shielded himself from it with his hood as best he could (though it wasn't particularly effective). Only Rozen wasn't feeling the dreadful effects of the weather due to the Weather Scarf they'd procured beforehand (the last one that Kecleon had on hand), which the other two couldn't help but be just a bit envious of… but keeping their cleric in good health was easily the better call, seeing as they wouldn't have protective screens and Heal Pulses without him. The ground perpetually rumbled and shook, and with the foes they knew of present, it wasn't hard to imagine why.

"Mav wasn't lyin'…!" Rush said through gritted teeth, pressing through as best he could.

"The only saving grace is that this is only ten floors," Dren agreed, voice sounding more like a growl from the cold. "I can stave off the cold by keeping a remnant of a Flamethrower going, but this is _dreadful_."

Rozen cast them both some pitying looks.

There appeared to be a tunnel ahead and Rush went towards it, but the rumbling of the ground started to grow stronger and make walking rather difficult. Rather quickly, Dren reached out with his tail and tossed Rozen onto his back between his wings, and he put his head down slightly to let Rush jump on. Almost the second the dragon started flapping his wings, the ground split open beneath them and a Steelix came bursting out with a low growl escaping its gaping jaws. The faint glow of Dren's embers made its edges glint just a bit, giving at least _some_ indication of where its body was amid all the dark surroundings.

"Well, it ain't a Mega," Rush remarked while he quickly scanned over the figure, balling one fist up.

The glow from Rozen's Helping Hand lit up the surroundings a bit more, illuminating the hulking figure of the metallic serpentine dungeon-dweller that took up maybe half the room. The end of its tail thumped the ground for a second, then glinted in more of a steely glow as it slammed an Iron Tail down at the Coalition trio. Rush jumped off of Dren and onto one side of the newly-formed fissure while Rozen shielded both himself and the Salamence with a Reflect. Their foe Hardened at the sight of Rush darting up to it, but still, the Brick Break it took elicited a pained growl.

"Careful, friend!" Rozen called in concern, eyeing the cracks in the ground that one could easily get cornered into with a single misstep.

"Don't ya worry!" Rush called back, sounding more like a snarl from the cold.

The Audino gave him another Helping Hand, but quickly, Rush was darting aside when the ground beneath him started to rumble again and a Stone Edge flew up. The Steelix raised its tail up, probably to strike again, but Rush's fist slamming into one of its stones made it stop. Another growl of wrath came from its gaping jaws as it fell in a heap in front of the tunnel, something akin to a small crater left in its diamond-like surface.

"I don't know how he goes after them so easily," Dren mused in a husky voice, eyeing the fainted wild one.

A swift kick from Rush moved the Steelix's head out of the way, for it had been in the way of their path moments earlier. "C'mon, it's a corridor," the Scrafty noted, motioning them over.

With Rozen still on his back, Dren flapped over and landed, and the three of them shortly followed Rush into the even darker tunnel.

"We still have an Escape Orb if we need it," Rozen said gently, hopping off of the dragon's back. "Me and Dren aren't handling the brunt of the battles here. It's fine to say it's too much, friend."

"Truly," the Salamence seconded it. "You and I are passively taking damage as it is, Rush. Throwing attacks at the same time like that can't be easy."

Rush shook his head. "Don't y'all worry about me; I can take it," he brushed it off, the cold still making his voice sound like a growl. "If I _can't_, I'll tell ya. But 'til that comes, _if_ it does, I ain't quittin'."

His comrades didn't protest it.

However, the next room they entered had a rather monstrous figure waiting for them- a Mega Tyranitar with its stone clutched in one hand. It snarled as soon as it laid eyes on them, its glare hardly visible through the dimness. Rozen jumped back into his former positon between Dren's wings, and even with the hail and sandy gusts eating away at his senses, Rush smirked while balling up his fists.

* * *

"You saw a Mega on the _first floor?!_" Arashi exclaimed.

"Sure did, Li'l Blue!" Rush laughed. "And I _punched _it, ehehe!"

Yet again, the Scrafty made a wild punching gesture as if a Mega Tyranitar was standing right in front of him, and yet again, Dren's tail reached out to keep him steady.

"So we ended up takin' its Tyranitarite after I knocked its ass out," Rush noted, slumping back into his chair. "We weren't gonna leave a damned Mega Stone behind after all, even if it wasn't the one we wanted! We saw a Mega Steelix on the third, a Mega Abomasnow on the fourth, there was a Mega Gengar on the fifth, and two damned Mega Mawiles on the sixth tried to chomp my head off. But the stones didn't start appearing out in the dungeon by themselves until about the eighth floor, which if ya can't tell, ain't easy to get to in the first place. We saw a rock with a little pink light peekin' out, and when I busted it, an Altarianite fell out! We reached the tenth floor thinkin' that we'd either sell or trade the stones we had for the one we were lookin' for, but we saw a white glow in one rock… and whaddya know, we got a damn Salamencite!"

"That was such a lucky find," Rozen nonchalantly piped up.

It had to be, Astrid figured- of all the forty-something Mega Stones to find, getting the one they wanted was definitely lucky.

"I was glad to be out of that dungeon," Dren chuckled. "I've walked on snow before, but that cold was the worst I've felt it in my entire life. And those unending sandstorms were _awful._"

"I felt damn near dead once we found that last staircase," Rush laughed, rolling his eyes. "Some of those wild ones were able to bust Rozen's shields, and that _sucked_ when it happened, ehehe!"

They had to imagine that indeed, it did.

"What did you do with the other two stones?" Arashi inquired.

"Sold 'em," Rush replied. "Those damn Kecleons were _real_ happy to see 'em. That got us a huge chunk of money, and we figured we'd use it to get ourselves a proper base. But before we could _do_ that…" His eyes got a shifty glint, and a huge smirk wormed across his face. "Well, y'all probably know what happened!"

* * *

"The fuck you want, bitches?" Rush asked flatly, eyeing the other two Scrafties with amusement and crossing his arms. "It's gettin' _real_ fuckin' old, y'know that?"

"Oh, don't be like that!" Nifty playfully but maliciously said back, eyes narrowing.

"Only thing gettin' old is your act," Swaggy shot back with a smirk, balling up one fist.

They hadn't even entered their dungeon yet, and the unwanted company was already bothering them. A cave entrance loomed before them, set into a small and vibrant green forest winding its way around the mountainside, and outside were three Scrafties and an Audino, not a Salamence to be seen… but Rush and Rozen knew their dragon comrade was close by. On one green-shrouded ledge, a large blue tail draped over the side that wasn't particularly noticeable unless directly looked for. Dren watched Rush carefully, and Rush grinned at their company with Rozen sticking close to his side.

"My act, huh?" Rush laughed. "What act are ya referring to? 'Cause clearly, I must be a better expeditioner than you if I'm pissin' ya off, ehehe!"

The other two tried to keep their flippant composure, but by the furious looks that graced their faces, Rush's words stirred something beneath the surface. Swaggy let out a little growl, and Rush only snickered to himself.

"Besides," Rush flippantly continued, "the fuck does it matter to you what I'm up to, eh? I thought I was a worthless waste of space! If that's true, then why the hell do you keep chasin' me down and gettin' up in my business? Either y'all are a pair of _dumbasses_ or I'm better than you, ehehe!"

Nifty snarled, and Swaggy made a move like he wanted to take a swing at Rush, but a Reflect went up that made him think twice.

… And when the shield went up, the blue tail draped over the ledge's side disappeared, a much larger draconian figure jumping out of the greenery and taking flight to come closer.

"Coward," Swaggy hissed. "You're just hidin' behind your little pink fluffball there! Cut that shit out!"

Rush laughed, not budging. "You and Nifty don't _actually_ think ya could beat me, alone _or_ with Rozen, right? C'mon now- we've done this song and dance both ways already. Ya show up, ya act all high and mighty like I _ain't_ kicked your asses, we get into it, and ya fuck off. Wanna try something different~?"

Perhaps Nifty and Swaggy would've noticed the large shadow on the ground that glided closer and closer all while getting bigger and bigger, but when a burst of energy filled the air from a stone around a certain Salamence's neck, they _definitely_ took notice of the blinding flash. Instinctively they looked up, and just as quick, shielded their eyes.

_Thud!_

Dren, even larger than he had been in his normal form and with pointed crescent-shaped wings almost akin to blades, dropped onto the ground in front of the two wily Scrafties. The moment they put their arms down from their faces, they stared straight into a set of snarling jaws. Their eyes went huge.

"_What the FUCK!_" Swaggy cried in horrified panic.

Nifty Protected herself with an energy shield as she backed away slowly, but her shield bumped the inner edge of Dren's curved wings and she gave a startled jolt.

"I-is this a dungeon-dweller?!" she cried both in fright and uncertainty, her shield going down.

Dren's eyes narrowed at them, and he snarled out, "_NO._"

Their eyes went wider at his words, and wider still when Dren made a little lurch at them. Rush's grin got even wilder, and Rozen started to smile a bit as well, albeit with slightly frightful eyes at their comrade's suddenly aggressive antics.

Nifty and Swaggy gave each other panicked glances and ducked underneath Dren's wings, hurriedly backing away as fast as they could while the dragon lurched at them again.

"Y-you two!" Nifty cried, looking at Rush and Rozen. "D-do you know this guy?!"

"Fuck that!" Swaggy said to the contrary, spitting acid onto one fist. "Everyone knows that Megas are prone to losing their goddamned minds after too long! _Beat his ass while we can!_"

He went to Poison Jab the Salamence, but a Reflect went up that blocked it. Dren started smirking too, and more horror entered the two troublemakers' countenances.

"I'm their friend," Dren growled, his tail thumping the ground hard enough to make it rumble. "And I'm not a violent dragon, but this Mega evolution… _is making me feel like I am._"

If Nifty and Swaggy needed any indication that they were in some serious trouble if they kept levelling threats, that was it. They gave each other a glance and darted aside to run for the nearest pathway back to Rugged Slope, but Dren turned around and, with nearly blinding speed, dove down at them in an Aerial Ace. It would've been a dead-on hit if Nifty hadn't been scared and put up another Protect, but even then, her shield shook and cracked as though it would shatter like glass, and the snarling face on the other side didn't bode well at all. The two Scrafties let out horrified shrieks as the shield faded almost as fast as it had gone up, and they sprinted off as fast as they could possibly go when a Flamethrower welled up in Dren's throat with the embers spilling out of his maw.

"_Don't let me see your faces again!_" Dren hollered, fire pouring from his mouth. "_Or I'll rip them off!_"

A mighty roar of wrath escaped the dragon's throat, and Nifty and Swaggy both looked as though a Chandelure had just appeared to burn their spirits away. _Something_ was getting burned away, that was for sure- but it was rather the grass on the ground by Dren's Flamethrower. It turned black in instants, and everyone present could see and feel the heat. Dren lurched at them again while their backs were turned in their running, apparently thinking something about attacking, but he stopped himself.

Nifty and Swaggy didn't say a thing. Rush watched with glee as they tumbled pell-mell away as fast as they could possibly go.

"… My," Rozen said nonchalantly. "That's…"

"Fuckin' beautiful," Rush interjected, crossing his arms.

Dren turned back to them, eyes twitching a bit but the outwardly aggressive antics coming to a quick halt. He strolled closer, his movements a bit mechanical as though something was making him tense.

"How's that form feel?" Rush inquired, smirking and studying him.

"… Powerful," the dragon replied. "I… actually have an urge to battle and tear things apart. I'm not sure what to make of it, and I know I should not breathe fire on you two… but I almost feel like I must."

His comrades looked fairly surprised at his statement of having a fighting desire. That had been their entire point all along- that Dren _didn't_ like battling, and Dren _wouldn't_ battle unless it was absolutely necessary.

But, all at once, he was surrounded by blinding energy again, this time in dissipation. Seconds later, it was a normal Salamence in front of them again, looking far less threatening (at least, in comparison).

"Was that sufficient…?" Dren asked gently. "That felt _so_ strange. I thought I'd just growl at them a bit and look like I'd douse them with a Flamethrower, but I just couldn't help myself. That Mega evolution… That truly _is_ scary."

Rozen strolled closer and gave him a small pat, and Rush cackled in happy laughter.

"That was _perfect_, Dren!" the Scrafty cried with glee. "Hell, I ain't _ever_ gonna forget the looks on their faces! If they show back up to bother us after that, you can light into 'em for real!"

The dragon looked rather hesitant about such, but he gave a meek nod.

Rush turned to the cave entrance, still snickering to himself, and motioned them along. "C'mon now, let's get back to what matters. We got one precious artifact to retrieve for Celeste over in Rocky Outpost, and then we got stuff to talk about with us gettin' a proper base and where it should be."

His other two comrades got brig grins of their own.

* * *

"I ain't seen those asshats since," Rush laughed. "I heard through the grapevine that they called it quits on bein' a team the day after, and _fuck 'em_, good riddance!"

"_I'm_ glad for that too," Dren said haplessly. "Mega-fueled rage isn't something I particularly like to deal with after the fact."

'Mega-fueled rage' didn't sound like anything fun to be dealt with, after the fact or _during_ the fact.

"But within the week we were relocatin' to the Crossroads, and the rest is history," Rush laughed. "It wasn't _as_ big back then, but I guess the place has caught on as an expeditioner hub, ehehe! Ama, _you_ were there at the time, though, I remember!"

"Oh, of course, darling~!" the Blissey chirped. "We needed a convenient location to spread our love from, ahahaha~!"

She did a bit of a happy dance herself, and shortly, Chira was darting over to steady her before she could fall over in a tipsy heap. Millicent helped steady her too, and the Blissey gave them both a little hug.

"So you, Rozen, and Dren were the only ones on the team when you started in the Crossroads," said Arashi, looking to Rush.

"That's right," the Scrafty confirmed. "Me and Rozen were the ones that'd run off into dungeons, Dren would give us a lift if we needed one and he'd stay around to growl at any outlaws that might've come chasin' someone through- though ya don't see _that_ in these parts hardly at all these days, ehehe! We thought we had our bases covered pretty well, but obviously, the team got bigger!"

* * *

While making their way through a largely tree-shrouded area to the northwest, Rush and Rozen had stumbled upon a rather unexpected figure in the vicinity- an Orbeetle, surrounded by half a dozen books floating with psychic energy while a pen, also moving by telepathy, scrawled something down on one page. She wasn't exactly standoffish, but to call her cheerful and amiable… wasn't very accurate, either.

She studied them, and studied a certain notebook that Rush had filled up. "So you're an expeditioner, a very good one… and _this_ is how you document things."

The tattered edges of the notebook flipped themselves with telepathy, and even if Rush might've been immune to any Psychic-type mind-playing, the Orbeetle's piercing gaze put him just a bit on edge too, and Rozen's usual smile was tinged with nervousness.

"It sure is," Rush replied, still smirking at his collection of pages. "Whatcha think?"

Her piercing gaze turned on him next, and she said flatly, almost bordering on anger, "… I have never been more _disappointed_ in my entire life."

Both the Scrafty and Audino were taken aback, and the page flipped to the haphazard map on one of the earlier pages.

"You call _this_ a map?" Adnea said with a very pointed coldness. The pages quickly flipped through the rest of the book. "And you call _this_ documentation? _Where are your categories and sub-categories? _ There's dozens of dungeons within a six-mile radius, and a quarter of them are in forested terrain while one-eighth are swamplands, another eighth are arid, a third are rocky, and the rest fall into differing categories. But _you_ just have them organized by the order in which you've been to them. That is _pathetic._"

The pages stopped on one of the dungeon entries with all the encountered species listed.

"And _this._ You have all the species listed, but you didn't even think to include the probability of encountering each one. Is an Eldegoss as common as a Bellsprout? Not even _close_, if I'm reading Rozen's memories correctly, and I _am_ reading them correctly."

The pages flipped to one of Rush's outlandish drawings of him beating the daylights out of Nifty and Swaggy.

"And don't even get me started on _this!_ Is an expedition log also your personal scribbling board for childish doodles? _Apparently so._ But of course, I suppose I can't expect someone who _clearly_ doesn't understand proper research and documentation to think any differently."

Her telepathic energy shoved the book into Rush's chest with enough force to make him stumble a bit, and he reclaimed his notes while looking absolutely taken aback by Adnea's rant. Rozen didn't utter a single word either.

The Orbeetle floated closer, her narrowing eyes only mere centimeters away from Rush's face. "You _really_ don't know how it's done, _do you?_"

The Scrafty blinked and Adnea backed away, though her gaze alone made them feel like someone had a fist clenched around their necks. Rush looked to Rozen, both of them sharing a stupefied glance.

"Did I just get verbally reamed by that floating bug?" Rush inquired, still rather taken aback.

"… You did," the Audino gently replied, blinking himself.

A smirk wormed across Rush's face, and he looked to Adnea, who only looked back out of the corner of her eyes.

"… By the way," said the Orbeetle, "there's an outlaw hiding in Yellow Forest and a lost traveler stuck on the fifth floor of Shining Quarry. You're the dungeon-crawlers; you might want to see to that. You should also keep an eye out for wild Beedrills in the area; some idiot decided to throw a rock at their nesting grounds and now the whole colony is in a frenzy, or so I've deduced."

His smirk grew even wider. He pointed at her, eyes practically glinting with intrigue. "You… I _like_ you, ehehe! Why don't ya join us?!"

Rozen looked a bit surprised at the inquiry, but Adnea softened up a bit while still keeping her piercing gaze.

She crossed her arms, but nonetheless said, "… I find that agreeable."

* * *

Adnea was still as straight-faced as ever as she chimed in, "You _needed_ a verbal reaming if you thought that was any appropriate way to document information, even if it was a paltry amount of information."

Rush snickered, and Lazuli cast the Orbeetle an amused glance as well.

"Well, nobody gathers information quite like you do, Adnea," Rush laughed. "Then we got Lazuli 'cause she can actually live underwater and not _die_ like the rest of us would, and we got Cinder 'cause havin' a bird around is useful as fuck too for tacklin' stuff the rest of us can't."

Lazuli grinned. "Hey, now, my bubbles would keep you alive if you went and lived underwater!" she too chimed in. "No one dies to aquatic terrain while _I'm_ around!"

The Fletchinder was yet again shooting death stares at the Starstorm trio, and yet again Astrid felt horribly uncomfortable under his stare.

"And then years later, after thinking the team was complete, we get three new members in one fell swoop," Rozen chuckled, giving the Starstorm trio a glance.

Rush cackled happily. "Damn straight, ehehe!"

Arashi giggled in glee too, giving both of his comrades a grinning glance. Astrid haplessly smiled back, and Raijin would've too if he could have… perhaps if only because the Frogadier looked absolutely ridiculous with his drawn-on monocles that Astrid secretly hoped would wear off by the next morning.

For several hours afterwards, most of the expeditioners were rather rambunctious in the pub. Astrid still stayed in the corner, bur gradually, she left her hiding place between the flower pots and exchanged a few words with the others (save for Cinder, who didn't even acknowledge her team's existence and she tried not to get close to). Dren's tail was a fine hiding place too if all else failed, and the Salamence was perfectly happy to let her huddle up in it. Millicent made a few signs at her, which Astrid wasn't too sure what to interpret as until Adnea translated them, but the Dartrix decided she was a bit fond of Millicent's wordless way of communicating and both she and Arashi tried to pick a few of the signs up. (The Frogadier had a much easier time of such on account of actually having hands with which to imitate the Alcremie's gestures, but the gods knew Astrid certainly tried her best.)

… Still, by the time they called it done and headed back to the base, Astrid was definitely glad to not be in such a buzzing environment anymore. The basement practically called to her, and Raijin wasn't too far behind either. A good afternoon or not, a bit of repose was in order.

* * *

_**Author's note**__: This is completely random and likely no one else would have noticed, but I found it out whilst double-checking what moves I had marked down for Coalition members waaaaaay back when I first started coming up with them. I ended up changing a few sets, and I couldn't quite recall if I had Dren with Air Slash on his set, so I checked my old sheet and saw Aerial Ace, and then I thought "Wait, can Salamence learn Air Slash, or am I just misremembering things?" and went to look at Salamence's learnset… Yes, it can indeed learn Air Slash, but... come to find out, it could learn Aerial Ace in Gen 7, which was the latest mainline iteration that had come out when I started writing this story, but apparently it can't do so in Gen 8. Couple that with my favorite Ultra Beast, Xurkitree, losing Tail Glow (a status move that raises special attack by three stages) because Tail Glow is no longer a selectable move, and I am shaking my head over here at what, _precisely_, is going on in people's heads when they make these decisions. Don't anybody tell me that anyone over at GameFreak is trying to preserve 'battle balance' or whatever they say they're trying to do in Gen 8 by taking moves away or making Dexit a thing; any credibility for them caring about battle balance flew out the window the moment they saw fit to create Mega Rayquaza in Gen 6 and set that unholy beast loose on the metagame. (Need I even mention Mega Kangaskhan, Therian Landorus, Primal Groudon, Kyogre in Gens 3-5, or heck, _easily_ the most egregious of them all, Gen 1 Mewtwo?)_

… _Point is, I'm not jiving with all these cut moves because I think it's a ridiculous decision, so I'm keeping Dren's moveset as it is. And if I put another Xurkitree somewhere in here in the chapters to come (trust me, we will be seeing a lot more Beasts soon), I'll probably give them Tail Glow just because YES, a base special attack stat of 173 plus a move that can boost it to maximum after only two turns is a ~beautiful~ thing. Anyone who says otherwise is either kidding themselves or salty about getting nuked by a bipedal dancing Christmas tree from space._

_(…Okay, I might just be ranting at this point, but still.)_


End file.
